Finding Home
by Gottahavemyncis
Summary: Tim McGee travels from London to Athens and his new permanent post and promotion. Come along as Tim meets his new team, explores more of the world and continues learning about life, love and family. There will be romance, adventure, family new and old, cases, drama. We'll see some old friends and make new ones. NOTE: Upped the Rating for language and safety.
1. Chapter 1

Notes:

-Before we join Tim, I want to send a special shout out to Luvable, a reviewer who has become a friend. She's just just received her bachelor's degree which she earned by going to school part-time while working. I know it's taken a lot of perseverance! Congratulations my friend! When I asked her if it was ok to mention here- pointing out she may very well inspire someone else - her reply: "Glad to be of inspiration to anyone out there for I know its a struggle but you keep on reaching for your goal and it will happen."

- Thanks as always to my beta, HarmonFreak1!

Now, settle in and get comfortable! After all, Tim's assignment is for a minimum three years. A lot can happen in three years! Now for the story...

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter One

Before he joined the queue to go through Security at Heathrow, Tim turned and gave James a warm hug. "May 1st holiday, you promise? It's on Thursday next year, so we can both take Friday off, have some fun!"

"Yes, as long as you don't have a case!"

"Come anyway!" James laughed and patting his friend on the shoulder, turned and walked away, afraid he would embarrass both of them if he looked back. He hoped the two of them would be friends for many years; they'd really gotten along well.

By the time Tim got to the gate, he was ready to just get on the plane and go. Leaving here wasn't as traumatic as his departure from DC, but it was a bit wrenching, something he hadn't anticipated when told he would be working in London for four weeks. He shook his head; it truly had been a wonderful month. Offered the choice of staying through the week or going early to Athens/Piraeus and getting settled in, he'd chosen to follow his original thought – to move on, move forward.

The flight to Athens was pleasant. Tim had a window seat and was stunned by some of the views. When they flew over the Alps, he snapped as many photos as he could of the majestic white capped mountains. He really couldn't see the mountains themselves, the snow cover almost appeared like waves. Every time the cockpit announced what region or country they were flying over, Tim had a thrill. Never in his life and certainly not during his years on the street, had he thought he would be flying from London to Athens, to live in Greece.

The four hour flight went quickly and Tim gathered his carryon, stuffing the light jacket he'd worn in London and on the plane into the bag. He briefly wondered when - or if - he would be wearing it again. Although he'd let his new boss Pete Russell know that he was arriving early he didn't expect to be met at the airport. It was Friday, still a workday; Tim was a big boy and could find his way to his temporary home. From what Vance had told him, it was something like one of the residential inns at home. He was actually hoping he could get there, stow his bags and pop into the office to meet everyone casually before his formal reporting in on Monday.

When he exited Customs, putting his documents carefully back in his bag, Tim was bemused to once again see his name on a sign, this time held by an older man. There was no last name this time, just the name Tim. He smiled and locked eyes with the man, surely this couldn't be his new boss, taking time away from the office to meet his new junior agent? He shook his head and held out his hand. "Pete?" The man nodded as he showed Tim his badge and Tim returned the gesture.

"Καλώς ήρθατε στην Αθήνα, Tim!" (Welcome to Athens)

Tim responded in Greek saying, "Thanks! I'm happy to be here, but I didn't expect you to meet me, take time away from work!"

Pete switched to English, "Haven't shaken off DC yet, have you my boy?"

Tim chuckled, "I guess not. Takes longer than four weeks to wash away 10 years!"

"Ah well, we'll work on that! I trust your flight was uneventful?"

"Yes, I snapped photos flying across the Alps, other than that I looked out when they announced where we were. Ate, drank, the usual."

"Good, well, let's get going then. My car's out front and even the agency placard won't prevent the airport police from towing us at some point!" Pete had one of the airport rental carts with him and they piled Tim's luggage on, although he kept his carryon on his shoulder.

Once the bags were loaded into the car, the two men climbed in and took off. As he drove, Pete explained, "Thought you might like to stop in the office and meet everyone before the weekend. "

Tim grinned, "I was hoping to get here in time to do just that!"

"Atta boy! We're having a get together with everyone on Sunday so you'd have met them all then, but this way you can see us in our native habitat before you officially become a part of it."

"Wow, that's wonderful, Pete, I sure didn't expect this!"

"Well, we work differently here. Might take you awhile to get used to it, it did me, but it'll become natural after awhile."

"I do have the advantage of having spent time In the London office, broke the pattern there."

"Yes, Joel is quite sorry to lose you." He laughed at the look on Tim's face. "You'll get used to that, too. With NCIS spread so thin in Europe, we stay in fairly close touch. We have a bi-monthly conference call with the four of us from London, Rota, Marseilles and here. However, Joel called me specifically about you, to sing your praises." Tim's ears and cheeks were bright red by now and he didn't know what to say. Pete chuckled, "I guess I shouldn't tell you that I've had calls from your friend Dr. Mallard and a Special Agent Rick Carter, both of whom wanted to make sure I understood what a gem I was getting." He paused, "And Tim, just so you know, Director Vance has given me some idea of what you've been through on your former team. Joel knew too, yeah we talked about it. One of the things I want to make clear to you is that I am accessible to talk anytime about anything, I would prefer you come to me with problems, even if the problem is with me."

Tim swallowed, he couldn't believe he was about to say this to the man he'd only met a few minutes ago, but it felt important to say now, to get things started right. "Dr. Mallard has been a big help with that, I realize now that I've spent most of my life handling things on my own but that I don't have to anymore; I need to learn to trust the people around me and part of that is reaching out when I need help."

"Good to hear, son, and I'm happy to help you with that. I have your file, I've read it from cover to cover and while I can't even begin to fathom the challenges you've faced, at least I have a better understanding of where you're coming from." He reached over and patted Tim on the knee. "I'm excited that you're joining us, Carla is over the moon about you coming in early so she can go home and not worry about us."

"She's doing ok?"

"She's hanging in, there have been a couple of tough spots but the docs have gotten them through ok. Joel told you? "

"About Carla and loaning his junior agent and my being there if they needed another agent, yes. I'm glad everything worked out…you know I just realized that Vance never mentioned it."

"Nah, we told him after Julian was here, he knows the situation over here, knows we have to be a bit creative once in a while. It all worked out well, you were able to continue on your project and both offices were staffed for the field."

Tim had been so gobsmacked while Vance was telling him about his former team that the fact that DiNozzo had been assigned to the office that Julian had been supposed to move to didn't pop into place until now. He shook his head in disbelief. "Tim?"

"Uh, nothing, Pete, just putting a piece of the NCIS puzzle together."

"Something I should know?"

Tim chuckled, "It'll be common knowledge if it isn't already. Joel told me his junior agent had had orders for posting to Bremerton in Washington State, but that Vance pulled the order. It didn't dawn on me until just now that Bremerton is the office that my former team-mate and former SFA, DiNozzo, has been sent to…as a junior agent."

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. We don't always realize how small an agency we are."

"Small but mighty!"

"That's for sure! And speaking of the small but mighty, here we are!"

They'd pulled up in front of what looked like residence. Tim looked at Pete, "Office or hotel?"

"Office."

"Cool, like the LA OSP office! Inconspicuous, cleverly disguised."

"A. I'm impressed that you've been to OSP and B, you're right." Tim laughed; he already liked his new boss. "The only problem we have is that our flag isn't in plain sight and that bothers me. But if you look up over the second floor…"

Tim looked and saw the top of a flag pole with the U.S. flag waving proudly over the rooftop along with the blue and white stripes of Greece's flag.

"Wow, feels good to see old Glory!"

Pete nodded, "Yes, I may be something of an expat, but I salute her every morning. Come on, let's go in." They exited the car, Pete locking it with the remote and headed for the front door of the building. The front was simply landscaped and well maintained. Tim wondered if there was a sign for NCIS and then saw it next to the front door, announcing it was the office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in both English and Greek.

They pushed in the door and entered what must have been a generous foyer, now functioning as a lobby. It was decorated with some beautiful paintings of Grecian sailing vessels through the centuries with a few photos of current American ships scattered in between. The woman behind the desk there looked up, gave Tim a friendly smile and welcomed him in Greek. Pete introduced her as Tea, pronounced TEE ah. Tim shook her hand as she again welcomed him to the office, this time in perfect English. The two men traveled further into the building and Tim thought the main room must have been the living room and dining area at some time. Not having been in a Greek home before, he could only compare it to American and British layouts. Five workstations were placed in the room, situated so that no one was quite face to face with any of the other occupants. Two of the desk chairs were currently occupied. To the right, the wall was mostly windows and the room was bright with natural light. Off to the left there was a hallway and Tim could see at least four doors. He figured interrogation, machinery – copy, fax, server(s) and a restroom or two. He wondered if there was a lockup here and then realized there wasn't enough staff. He remembered reading about the American embassy building in Athens and knew there was a lockup there, but that was a few miles away. He laughed at himself, he was sure the staff had it all figured out!

At the far end of the room there was an enclosed office with a rippled glass wall facing the rest of the room. That must be Pete's office. The left interior wall of the first floor ended several feet from the back of the building and Tim wondered if that had been the kitchen. As they progressed into the room, the two workers looked up. One ended a phone conversation and sat smiling at the two men. From what Tim could see, this was Carla, the benched Senior Field agent. The young man across from her was working on his laptop but smiled in their direction. Pete motioned to them and Tim saw that Tea had followed them into the room. They headed for the mystery room at the left and he saw he'd been right, not only had it been the kitchen, in some respects it still was. There was a long counter with a sink at one end, a built in dishwasher and a microwave, toaster oven, coffeemaker and small refrigerator at the other end. There were cupboards above and below. Tim noticed that there was a track on the ceiling a little beyond the refrigerator and he noticed what looked like a large screen or rolling door hidden in the back wall. He guessed the room doubled as a conference room as there was a large table with files and coffee mugs on it and they could make it more formal by using the rolling door to block off the kitchen. As a whole, it was a large bright room, although by now Tim had noticed that each window had some sort of covering rolled up at the top, shades to help keep the summer heat out. He turned his head as he spotted the staircase to the second floor and Pete grinned at him. "What did Vance tell you about your temporary quarters?"

"That it was like a residence hotel and I could walk to work."

"Well, I guess you could call it that and you certainly can walk to work. It does have a kitchen, comfortable bedroom and full bath. "

Tim laughed, "Is the room upstairs or down that hallway?"

"Upstairs. Hope you don't mind!"

"No, I think that's great! I have everything I need in the kitchen, right?" The agents and Kim chuckled. "Yes, if you choose to eat in. Each of us found, when we transferred in and stayed upstairs, that we wanted a break at some point. We'll show you our favorite εστιατόριο (restaurant) and ταβέρνα (tavern), both within walking distance." Tim nodded, that would be good. He was again grateful that he could speak the language; it would make it that much easier to meet people.

Carla spoke for the first time, "The only rule Pete insists on is that you don't show up for work in your jammies!"

"Ok, but what about barefoot?"

They all laughed and Carla said, "Oh, you're going to fit right in!"

Pete went around the room and introduced them, Carla, Eva, Matt, Kim and of course Tea. Matt was the current probie, Eva the other local support staff, Kim was the American woman who staffed Pete and the agents. Eva was part-time, the others were fulltime staffers. They sat at the table and Tea opened one of the cupboards to unveil a plate of Greek pastries. The others cheered as she unwrapped the treats. "I brought these in early and hid them, Tim, so that there would still be some left by the time Pete brought you from the airport."

"Thank you, Tea, I appreciate your caution! In my old office, these wouldn't have made it from the front door to the squad room without some stealth moves! Did you make these, by any chance?''

"Yes, I did, how did you guess?"

He smiled at her, "Dated a Greek girl who taught me to speak the language and her mother made pastries that looked very similar to this." He continued, "I remember her making one of these, I think it was the folded ones, it was pretty tricky."

Tea blushed as she nodded. "Yes, my yaya (grandmother) taught me from the time I was old enough to see over the counter when I stood on a stool. Not the frying part, I was not allowed to do that until I was much older, but I had watched her so many times by then." Tim nodded as he chewed and swallowed a delicious bite. "It's sad that I can't remember her mother's name but I do remember the names of the pastries!"

The others laughed while Kim turned over the mugs and Pete fetched the coffee pot and electric kettle. Matt brought a tea bag he put in Carla's mug as well as cream and sugar, plates, napkins and spoons that he distributed around the table. Carla's hot water was poured first and the kettle left for her while Pete poured coffee for everyone else. Tim noticed everyone had pitched in. Watching Matt, Tim thought that of all the probie things he'd had to do all those years ago waiting table had not been part of them, although he had the lunch run more often than not. Smiling he took another delicious bite and then a sip of his coffee. Oh yeah, this was going to be good!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

While they enjoyed Tea's scrumptious pastries, the group told Tim more about the office and Piraeus. He was glad Vance had advised him to pay attention to current events and history as well as Greece's ancient history. He knew from his online research that there was a Metro system that ran both under and above ground; in fact he'd planned to take that system from the airport to the office this morning. Now he heard more about the construction and the 'emergency archeology' that had to be done. The artifacts that had been removed were in one central museum and he thought that sounded interesting. He laughed as he told his new co-workers that everything sounded interesting. Matt told him as the most recent newcomer he could give him some tips and then mentioned that he had just moved out from upstairs in the past month, found an apartment nearby to share with an American student. He held up his hand, "It's clean up there, I swear, Pete's wife inspected it. "

They all laughed as Pete said, "You could have stayed up there Matt, but you would have had to share with Julian and now Tim."

Tim laughed, "Not a problem for me, I shared a flat with one of my team members in London!"

No one had heard about that so he told a much condensed version of his stay with James and a few of their travels. Their treats and coffee finished, Eva and Kim collected the dishes and mugs and put them in the dishwasher while Matt and Tim grabbed his luggage from the car and quickly hauled it upstairs. Tim came back downstairs with his carryon and a carry bag from his suitcase. Pete shook his finger at him, "No work for you today. Monday is soon enough."

Tim tried not to make a face and spotted Carla doing the same thing. "How about this, Pete? How about Carla and I just go over a few things…please?"

Pete laughed, "Joel and Leon were right about you, son, you're ready to roll, aren't you?"

Tim dared what a month ago would have been an unthinkably daring comeback for him. "I live upstairs, Pete, can't just go up there and listen to you work! And really, I'm just thinking about Carla; think how much this will reduce her stress levels."

Pete huffed a laugh at them while Carla obligingly batted her eyelids in a "helpless maiden" look. "Fine, who am I to stop progress!" His SFA and almost-SFA grinned at him, showing their appreciation.

Tim took the vacant workstation closest to Carla, opened his carryon and took out his laptop and some of his gizmos he'd brought from DC as well as some he'd acquired in London. He realized the office was scheduled for the new product upload this afternoon and wondered who would be handling that. His next thought was that would be a sideline for him here, his main job was Junior Field Agent getting up to speed on the duties of a Senior Field Agent as quickly as possible. He threw his carry bag with his favorite office supplies into a drawer and rolled his chair over to Carla's workstation.

She smiled, "That was fast!"

He chuckled, "Hey, I can set up my desk at 0300 if I want, why take the time now!" She patted his hand, "You'll be fine, we'll be fine, we've got a few weeks." He nodded, thanking her. They spent a couple of hours on procedure, reports, etc. and then lunch arrived.

Tim's eyes popped wide open when a woman everyone greeted as "Trina" walked into the office carrying a hot food bag, a young girl behind her carrying a second hot food bag.

Pete came out of his office and kissed the woman and the girl, as the others called greetings to her and Kyra. Carla patted Tim's hand again, "Don't worry, we only do all this for newcomers. Monday you'll have to get your own food!"

Tim nodded, "Not that I mind but…"

She laughed. "What you're probably already noticing is that we are a community here, a family. The Russells have lived here forever and they know everybody. My husband and I have been here for several years and many of our friends and acquaintances were introduced to us by the Russells. They make sure everyone has a friend, has a place to go for holidays. Do you have family?"

Tim nodded, "Yes, a sister and two brothers. My sister and younger brother will be moving from the US to London in the next few weeks, Sarah for grad school, Rob for medical school. Our older brother Geordie is Marines Special Forces, so we never know where he is or where we'll see him. But I've already told my kids we'll be spending holidays together, at least while they're in Europe."

"Your kids?"

"Sarah and Rob."

"That's sweet you call them your kids."

Tim shrugged, "I raised them, it's an old habit, haven't broken it."

Carla had her hand on her baby belly, rubbing it. "Hope you never do, it's very sweet and says a lot about the person you are."

Tim blushed and he was a little relieved when Pete whistled for everyone to gather in the kitchen. He was introduced to Trina and Krya, the Russells' youngest child, and then told to sit and enjoy his meal, a version of a souvlaki pita called a Gyro Pita. Tim looked at it and realized it was the original "Hero" sandwich, in a pita instead of a roll. These were freshly made and accompanied by plates of what Tim recognized as Greek salad. Bottles of lemonade were on the table and Tim poured himself a glass. He had never been one to use much ice in his drinks, growing up on the street he'd just been grateful to have anything to drink and ice had been the furthest thing from his mind. In London he had felt right at home when drinks were served without ice. He wondered about that here with the much warmer climate and smiled when Pete pulled trays of ice cubes out of the tiny freezer in the top portion of the small refrigerator.

After lunch, Carla and Tim wheedled a couple more hours out of Pete and then took the time to review current and recently closed cases. Tim was not surprised to see that the files and reports were the same high quality as his former team had turned in. By 1500, he could see that Carla was flagging, so they wound up what they were doing and he headed upstairs to unpack.

His room was quite spacious, had obviously been the largest bedroom in the former home and there was an updated en suite bathroom. His bedroom and bathroom windows looked out the back and Tim was pleased to see a garden, with plenty of shade, flowers and a fountain. Once he unpacked, he grabbed his phone and took some pictures of the room and of the view from his window. Pocketing his phone and picking up his tablet, he headed downstairs. Thinking to grab a bottle of the lemonade, he stopped in the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and found that it had been fully stocked with items all marked "TIM". Matt heard him on the stairs and came out to tell him that there was a two burner electric 'hot plate' in the cupboards as well as a skillet and a couple of saucepans, so he could cook whatever he wanted and the toaster oven was big enough to bake or broil most items. He showed him how to operate the appliances and then took him out to the garden to show him the shadiest spots and the switch to turn the fountain and lights on. Tim was entranced and wondered if he could just stay here rather than find his own place.

Seeing the look on his face, Matt chuckled. "I kind of felt the same way, Tim, but we can come out to the garden during breaks, lunch, I still cook my dinner here sometimes and eat outside. Eventually you will want your own place. As nice as this is, it's still the office and I guess Pete hasn't mentioned it yet, but we're not allowed to have guests upstairs."

Tim nodded, "I had wondered about that! Yes, that will definitely speed up my apartment hunt!"

"Uh, I was wondering, if you're not too tired tomorrow, would you want to go into Athens for some sightseeing? I've been but I'd really like to go back with someone, be a lot more fun. You know - different perspectives."

Tim's eyes lit up, "Yeah, that'd be great Matt, thanks! And I won't be too tired, remember, I only flew across the English Channel and parts of Europe today, not the whole Atlantic as you did!"

Matt nodded. "Great! Also, Kim and I would like you to come to dinner with us tonight. We'll show you around the immediate area here, then the nicer parts of the harbor – this is a big city and a big harbor, it's not all pretty and some of it is dangerous, so we can point out places to avoid except on a case! Then we thought we'd show you a couple of the quieter neighborhoods each of us has found – Kim's been here for nearly two years so she knows a lot more than I do. Have dinner; do a bit of walking, and sound good?"

Tim nodded again, "Yeah that sounds wonderful!"

Tim was quite happy to agree, he'd been mentally preparing himself to spend Saturday by himself. He'd thought he take the Metro into Athens and see a few of the items on his list, but going with Matt sounded like a lot more fun.

Matt and Kim had a couple of hours more to work, so Tim found a comfortable spot in the garden. He sent a text to Vance letting him know he was at the office, loved his "hotel" and the in-office chefs. Chuckling he sent that, figuring it would get the man's attention. Checking the time, he saw it was still a little too early to call Ducky so he picked up his tablet, sent a few e-mails and then caught up on his reading. Thirty minutes later, his watch alarm chimed and he picked up the phone again to call his friends.

Ducky answered the phone on the first ring, "Hello, Timothy, are you all settled in to your hotel in Greece?"

Tim laughed, "Did the Director tell you, Ducky?"

The older man chuckled, "Yes dear boy he did, before he left for Europe. He wanted to make sure you wouldn't be upset, I got the idea the British lad wasn't overly enthusiastic about it. I got quite a kick out of the rooms above the office and Jimmy has too; hold on…do you mind if I put you on speaker?"

"No, Ducky, not at all! It's a great room; has its own bathroom, very usable kitchen downstairs, beautiful garden out back with lots of shade and a fountain, I'm sitting under a really nice shade tree right now. I took some photos of the room and the garden; I'll send them in a minute."

"That's wonderful, lad! You sound every bit as close as you did in London, I'm happy to say. I take it you have met your new team?"

"Yes, they're great, Ducky. Pete, that's my new Team Leader, Pete Russell, picked me up at the airport; I was so surprised that he'd do that on a workday! He brought me to the office to meet everyone so I didn't even think anything of not going straight to the hotel. It wasn't until I saw the building and then the staircase to the second floor that I realized this was my 'residential hotel that was within walking distance.' Anyway, one of the women who works here brought in homemade Greek pastries and they had a welcoming party for me. I spent the rest of the morning with Carla, the woman I'll be replacing and then Pete's wife and daughter showed up with lunch! These people are amazing!"

"I'm so happy to hear that, Timothy, you sound as happy as you were in London."

"I am. I was a little worried about being on my own all weekend, but two of my co-workers have asked me to join them for dinner tonight and one of them asked me to go into Athens with him tomorrow. Sunday, Pete and his wife are having a get-together for all of us. And I haven't really even done anything yet, Ducky, these people are just naturally friendly!"

"Yes well, Timothy, it is about time you found kindred spirits."

"I guess...Ducky, Vance told me about Gibbs, DiNozzo and Abby. Is everything ok there?"

"I will admit it is strange with none of you here, dear boy, but the atmosphere in the office has settled down quite nicely. Anthony has left for his new assignment and Gibbs is in Stillwater."

"Is he ok, Ducky?"

"He is…all right, Timothy, you shouldn't worry about him."

"But I do, I never thought…well, you know what I thought would happen."

"Yes I do but with the exception of your own departure, the rest have been the Director's decisions, Timothy and surely you don't mean to question them, do you?"

"What? No, not at all, I just…"

"You just settle in, enjoy your dinner tonight and your sightseeing tomorrow. Would it be possible to have someone take your photo over the weekend and send it to me? I love seeing the sights, but I most want to see you in those sights, lad."

"Of course, Ducky, and I have some from London still to send you." Tim paused, "Ducky, have you spoken with Gibbs this week?"

"Not since he left for Stillwater, lad. I've talked with Jack and you may as well know I'm flying up there this weekend. And before I forget, Jackson asked to send you his love."

"That's sweet of him, Ducky, please thank him and tell him I send mine as well. But Gibbs… he's not ok, is he?"

"He will be fine, Timothy and if you start thinking any of this is your doing I shall be very upset with you."

Tim paused, "Ok, Ducky, I see your point. Thanks for being such a good friend, to both of us, to all of us. Is Jimmy there?"

"Unfortunately, no, although the reason is a good one, he and Breena are meeting with an adoption counselor this morning."

"Oh, that's great, they're moving along pretty fast!"

"Yes, and Timothy, they have asked me to be grandfather to their child!"

Tim let out a whoop, momentarily forgetting that he was in the back garden of an office. He grimaced and looked at his watch, nearly 1700, shouldn't be too bad a faux pas at this hour. He hoped. "Ducky, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you, dear boy, I'm quite excited about it! Now as much as I would love to chat with you longer, I do have a guest who needs my attention and Agent Carter has just walked in."

"All right, Ducky, it's been wonderful talking with you. Tell Rick, Jimmy and the others hello for me and … have a safe flight."

"I shall do so, my friend. Have a wonderful weekend and send me photos! I'll talk with you next week, hmm?"

"Yes, Ducky. Have a good flight." They ended the call and Tim sat thinking about the news. He knew Jimmy and Breena had intended to ask Ducky to be grandfather to their children. Jimmy's father had died years ago and Tim knew Ducky had a big place in Jimmy and Breena's hearts just as they had in his. The other news, about Gibbs, didn't sound so good. He worried his lip, thinking about calling Jackson's store but was interrupted by Kim's arrival.

"Matt and I are just getting ready to shut down, Tim, if you want to come in. Matt says he always left a couple of lights on upstairs so the place looks occupied. We thought we'd take you to one of our favorite pubs after dinner. We'll take my car now and leave it at the bar; I'll be designated driver tonight."

"How far away is Matt's place?"

"It's a bit far but it's close enough so that I can drop him off on my way home, then he can get his car here tomorrow when he meets you for your trip into The City." Tim smiled, thinking how funny it was that everywhere he went, London, Baltimore and now Athens, the metropolis was usually referred to as The City, with capital letters.

"Do I need a jacket, is this ok?"

"Yes, you're fine and yes, this time of year the evenings do cool down, so bring a light jacket. In the summer you won't need one at all." Tim went upstairs to leave his tablet, grab a jacket, turn a light on and lock his bedroom door (as advised by Matt and Pete), then walked out with his two new co-workers.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, following and faving! Enjoy...

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Three

Once they left the office, the three co-workers walked around the immediate area, Matt and Kim pointing out useful businesses: laundry & dry cleaners, shoe repair, coffee shop, bakery, a bookstore advertising they had books in English, groceries, a park, Radio Shack, a delicatessen that smelled delicious, the closest police station. Returning to the office, they got in Kim's car and drove to the harbor area, Matt and Kim still filling Tim's head with tips about local businesses, traffic, where to find the best…of everything. Within a few blocks they'd reached the harbor and Tim was entranced with the city pier and the marina. There were three cruise ships out in the harbor and Kim explained that they brought people in on smaller tenders and then bussed them into Athens. There were a myriad of sail and power boats berthed at the marina and Tim also spotted a large frigate anchored farther out of the harbor, away from the cruise ships. Kim explained that with Greece's troubled economy, the cruise ships were a welcome sight and the tourism board was very careful to make sure their visitors saw all the sites, historic, ancient and modern. One of the ships they'd spotted up the line was an ancient sailing vessel, obviously a reproduction. Tim noticed the Nautical Museum close to the vessel and both his co-workers recommended it. Tim also noticed a "tall ship", a three masted sailing ship. When Tim asked about it, Matt said he'd gone over and looked at it; the ship was a schooner on a 'round the world' cruise. Given what they knew as NCIS employees about pirate and terrorist activities on the high seas, none of them were wildly enthusiastic about the idea of a global sail. It just sounded too dangerous!

From where they were, Tim could see several docks with shipping containers and he had to repress a shiver looking at them, thinking of Tony and Ziva's ordeal in a very similar container. He remembered that Gibbs had been kind to him that day; when he'd expressed a fear that their teammates might be dead, Gibbs had reached out and touched him, told him no they were alive because he would know if they were dead. That was one of the few times he could remember Gibbs treating him like that. He hoped his former boss was ok and thought again about calling Stillwater. As always, he wondered why in general Gibbs had never seemed to like him or treat him as one of the "family". Shaking his head he turned to find Kim and Matt looking at him with some concern. Huffing, he pointed to the shipping containers and told them about his former colleagues being boxed in.

They parked the car and walked around the bustling city of Piraeus for a couple of hours, popping in and out of places to show Tim various things. Eventually Matt declared he was hungry and although it was still a bit early, they headed to the restaurant they wanted to show Tim. They walked a few blocks to the neighborhoods where the small cafes and restaurants were patronized by the locals, turning in at a restaurant called Vosporos. The place hadn't filled up yet and they were ushered to a table by a window. They chose from the menu making sure they knew the prices and when Tim ordered, he did so in fluent Greek and the server smiled, happy to have a foreigner speak his language. Kim also ordered in Greek and Matt, smiling, did his best, telling the server he was still learning. Returning the smile, their server told Matt that he was still learning English. They had excellent service and found the food quite tasty. Tim and Kim ordered lamb dishes while Matt had chicken. Each of them cut bites off their entrée and passed to the others before they dug in. The prices were not bad and Tim made a note of the address, he thought he would return here. It was a cozy place and he felt comfortable. Considering the homemade delicacies they'd enjoyed that morning, they passed on dessert and enjoyed coffees instead.

After leaving the restaurant, they walked down to the harbor again and enjoyed the lights on all the ships and boats. Matt and Kim laughingly told Tim they were taking him to a famous pub next. As they walked to it, they passed Kim's car and Tim nodded in appreciation of their plan, parking near their last destination. As they reached the pub, Tim laughed at the sign and insisted on taking a photo of it, "The Flying Pig Pub". He was told the place was run by a Greek-American who served a large range of beers and wholesome foods, including an English breakfast. Tim made note of this address too and Matt gave him directions from the office. This seemed like a place he could come to hang out. He could have breakfast or a pub dinner and while he wasn't a big drinker, he didn't mind nursing a beer for awhile. They sat with their beers, each of them trying a different local brew and enjoying the atmosphere. Tim was surprised when both Kim and Matt wanted news from home…not what was on the news but what was really happening. It was easy to keep up with the news online but it wasn't easy to find people to talk with to tell them what was really happening, how people felt, what they were talking about. Having been based in DC, Tim had quite a lot to share. He figured he would be asking the same types of questions in a few months.

It wasn't all that late when they decided to call it a night, but Tim was suddenly exhausted and wondered why. Then he thought about the day he'd had: up before dawn to travel to Heathrow, flew nearly 1500 miles from one country to another, met his new co-workers, worked a bit, walked a bit, ate a lot and now he was very ready for a good night's sleep. They wandered back to Kim's car and as they got in, Tim turned to Kim, "Is there another bedroom at the office?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a small one upstairs, down the hall from you."

Tim turned to Matt, "Do you have a 'go' bag in your car?"

Matt looked at him, "You mean a case bag, for call outs?"

"Personal stuff, clothes, toiletries…"

"Yeah, that's what we call a case bag."

"Oh, yeah, that's what I meant. "

"Yeah, always!"

"Then why don't you just stay at the office, there's food in the fridge, I'll make us breakfast tomorrow before we go on in to Athens."

Matt laughed, "Well yeah sure, that makes sense, I just didn't want to crowd you on your first night."

Tim smiled, "Believe me, I'm going to be sleeping too hard to notice." He paused, "Is that ok, do we need to let Pete know?"

Kim shook her head, "Nah, I'm the de facto operations manager, so you're fine. Just make sure you change the sheets before you leave, Matt." Matt nodded his head sleepily.

Tim looked at Kim, "You're not too tired to drive home?"

She smiled at him, "I'm fine, Tim, thanks for your concern."

He smiled back, "I forget this was a normal work day for you, except for the pastries, lunch and having a new guy there! I suddenly feel like I've been up for about 36 hours straight."

"Matt had jet lag for over a week!"

"Hey!"

"Well you did."

"Yeah I know."

Tim chuckled, "I had it for several days after flying to London, Matt; I think it's the time difference plus the flight that throws us off."

Kim pulled up in front of the office and waited until the two men had retrieved Matt's "case" bag (Tim didn't like that name, it was confusing to him but he guessed he'd get used to it), locked his car and opened the office door. Turning, they waved to her and she took off for home.

The second bedroom door was locked, but Tim had all the keys. After they found the right key and unlocked the door, he gave Matt the key to hang onto. Unlocking the door to his own room, he was glad he'd unpacked his clothes and toiletries. He took a quick shower and collapsed into bed around 2300.

When he woke to sunshine pouring into his room, Tim briefly wondered where he was and then remembered he was home now. Not quite to his permanent home, he'd have to find an apartment but in the right place. He jumped out of bed, eager to start his first full day in Greece.

He quietly padded downstairs, not wanting to wake Matt up if he was still sleeping, he'd let the smells of breakfast cooking do that. He got the coffee going and then grabbed the two-burner and the skillet from the cupboard. He found bacon, eggs and cream in the fridge. He didn't see any butter or margarine but did spot a yogurt spread and took that out for the toast. Laughing to himself, he wondered if there was a brand called "Greek Yogurt" here or if it was all just yogurt. He searched for cooking utensils, found them plus a hot pad and got busy cooking the bacon.

He hadn't gotten as far as turning the bacon when Matt appeared, blinking sleepily. "Good morning!"

"Morning Tim. I smelled coffee and bacon!"

"Yep, figured we could go a long way today on a full breakfast."

"Sounds good to me. Any idea what you want to see first?"

Tim looked at him and they both started laughing. "Ok, ok, that's a big duh! We'll start with the Acropolis and Parthenon and I'm going to make a giant assumption that you'll want to see the Acropolis Museum as well?"

Tim nodded, "Oh yeah and then the National Archeological Museum, if we have time!"

Matt smiled at him, "Just remember you have more than a month here, you can go into Athens every weekend, every day off if you want!"

"That's true, I'm still in "see it all in a month" mode from London."

As they were talking, Tim had cooked the eggs and made toast. He plated their breakfasts, Matt poured two coffees, put the cream & sugar on the table, they sat down to eat and kept right on talking.

"You know, Athens at night is spectacular – everything is lit up and there's a lot going on. It's really a very safe city compared to London!"

"I heard that…oh, so you're saying we can take our time, have dinner and see Athens by night?"

"Something like that. I was going to add the Plaka into the mix since we'll be right there. That's the neighborhood around the Acropolis, there are all sorts of small shops, restaurants, and local architecture, if you like architecture." He laughed again at the look in Tim's eyes.

"Ok, that will give us a full day! If not we'll take in some of the other neighborhoods, maybe Lycabettus Hill. That has a funicular rail car, might be fun and will probably get us away from the tourists. Oh wait today you are a tourist…some of the other tourists then. The other thing is there's an open air bus we can take into Athens from here. I thought that would be more scenic for you going in and then we can take the Metro on the way back."

"Matt, this is really great of you to take on even though you've seen everything already, it's going to be like having my own tour guide!"

"Yeah, I saw it all and it was interesting but today's going to be a lot more fun." By this time both men had finished their breakfasts and Matt offered to do the dishes while Tim headed upstairs to clean up and dress. He wasn't sure about what time they'd be coming back so he grabbed a light jacket and put it in his daypack. He wondered about weapons and when Matt came upstairs, he asked.

"I asked Pete when I got here and he said we don't have to carry our Sigs on weekends, unless we're on call for one of the other offices. Do you know about that?"

Tim nodded. "Ok, so no Sigs this weekend." He twisted his lips, "I'm sure there's security at the museums, right?"

"Yeah, airport style security. Why, what are you thinking?"

"On my old team, we also carried knives as weapons. As one of my former co-workers once said, "Knives don't run out of ammunition." I got into the habit of carrying one all the time, whether I was on or off duty. Mine is a belt knife. I also usually have one strapped to my ankle, but I won't take that one today. But I will take my belt knife so I'll bring my permit to carry."

Matt just stared at him. "I thought this office might be different from DC, that you'd be surprised at the terrorists and stuff like that we get into, but it doesn't sound like it."

Tim gave him a grim smile, "No, afraid not. My first year as a field agent, one of my team mates was killed by a Hamas terrorist."

"Geez, that's horrible. So…do you throw the knife or use it more personally?"

"Both. I had kind of a rough growing up; by the time I was 10 I could hit any target I could see."

"Wow, I had no idea."

"I know, sure don't look it, do I? That actually saved me a few times."

"What kind of…never mind, it's none of my business."

"No, I've got nothing to hide, not anymore." Tim told him an abbreviated version of his story.

"Tim…I don't even know what to say, that's awful, that shouldn't ever happen to kids."

Tim shook his head, "Did and still does. That shelter and camp still exist and there's still kids on their own there."

"How did you survive?"

"Kept moving, studied hard, worked hard, learned how to defend myself."

"You should write a book!" Tim laughed and shook his head. He wasn't ready to out himself as Thom E Gemcity. Pete knew as it was in his personnel file, but he didn't see a need to tell anyone else, especially not after the fiasco at the club in London.

They took Matt's car and parked it at the Metro station closest to the office. From there they walked the two blocks to the site for the Open Air bus tour and Matt pointed out the one way tickets. Tim insisted on paying for both of them; they only had a few minutes to wait until a bus pulled in and discharged its passengers. The ride to Athens was brief and they got off at the stop closest to the Acropolis.

Tim was immediately entranced with it; he felt like he was a living breathing cliché, needing to pinch himself to see if he was awake and really here, walking on the stones of the 2400, some said closer to 2500 year old Acropolis. He looked at everything, examining the Parthenon and the other relics of classical Greece. He barely noticed when Matt exclaimed and walked over to two young women who had called out to him. He was taking photos when Matt walked back over with the women and introduced them as Amy and Margie. He explained that he'd met them in Vienna the previous summer on a quick tour of Europe he'd taken before reporting for work at the NCIS office. They'd met while staying at a hostel and waltzed the night away to the music of a live orchestra in a park one summer night. Tim thought that was a pretty cool story and made a mental note to write it up later for possible inclusion into a story someday. The two women were finishing their time in Athens and re-visiting the Parthenon one last time. They were leaving on the late afternoon ferry to Brindisi, Italy, but decided to stick around long enough to have lunch with the two men and Tim obligingly took photos of Matt, Amy and Margie. Remembering Ducky's request, he gave his phone to Margie and she took a photo of him standing by the pillars of the Parthenon and another with Matt and Tim together. They had a late lunch in the Plaka and their server took a photo of the four of them. Then they said goodbye to the girls as they had some last minute shopping to do.

By the time they left the Metro station that night, Tim was well satisfied with their sightseeing. He'd had a good taste of both museums which was all he wanted today. He'd go back by himself and spend a day or three in each of the museums, there was no need to subject Matt to that. He'd bought postcards and a book about ancient Greece for Ducky. While they'd walked, the two men had talked and Matt gave Tim more tips about their lives in Greece. He'd gotten the same advice about tuxedos as Tim had and gave Tim the name of his tailor, located close to the office. And yes, it was true, as federal agents they represented the U.S. and as bachelors they would be on call for embassy parties. Matt had been to three in his four months and regaled Tim with some of his stories.

Matt dropped Tim off at the office waiting just as Kim had, until he'd unlocked the door and entered. Tim found his way through to the stairs in the dark and was glad he'd left the hall light on upstairs. He got ready for bed and then took out his phone and stared at it. Figuring out the time on the East Coast, he knew Ducky would be in Stillwater by now, had probably had time to check on Gibbs. He was having a wonderful time and he wasn't blaming himself, he'd taken Ducky's words to heart, but he wanted, needed to hear Gibbs' voice. And he wanted Gibbs to know he was all right, that he was alive and well and thinking of him. Tim knew that he loved Gibbs, that no matter his treatment of him, the man was the only father figure he'd had since he was a kid. It was just that it had always been one sided. His hand hovered over the buttons for several minutes while he tried to decide if calling and saying hello to Gibbs would make things better or worse for them – both of them. And Ducky. His worry got the better of him, he went with his instincts and finally pressed the contact button for Ducky.

It took several rings before the man answered. "Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

"No, Ducky, I didn't mean to worry you, I just… I just wanted to know how Gibbs is. And maybe I could say hello or do you think that would make things worse?"

There was a silence and Tim thought he could hear Ducky walking.

"All right, I'm outside now. Now say that again, did I really hear you say you want to say hello to him?"

"Yes, you did and I do, but only if it won't make things worse for him or you."

"Timothy…my dear boy, I don't know quite what to say."

"Ducky, please…tell me!"

"Lad, yes, if you really want to do this, I'll give him the phone and no it won't hurt him and certainly not me. I'm just astounded by your request."

"Never said I stopped loving him, Ducky, just got tired…well you know."

"That's fine." The older man paused, "Timothy, he has been under the weather so his voice may seem a little weakened to you, but his father is taking good care of him and he's improved a great deal. I don't want you to worry."

"I won't if I can talk with him, Ducky."

"All right, lad, I'm going back into the house now. Hang on." Tim heard Ducky saying something and another voice, a familiar voice, respond and then the sounds of the phone being passed.

"Hello?"

"Gibbs, it's McGee. I just wanted to say hello and see how you're doing."

"Tim, it's so good to hear your voice, I…" Gibbs paused and Tim heard him clear his throat.

He decided to jump in, "Ducky told me you haven't been feeling well so I could just talk if that's ok."

"Yeah, Tim, I want to hear your voice, tell me everything…Tim, I didn't think I'd get to do this again, to talk with you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Boss, let's just take it slow, I wanted to hear your voice, know you were ok, I wasn't looking for anything else. Maybe we could just talk."

"Yes, so… Tim, that's fine. Are you in Greece now?"

"Yes, I got here yesterday and went right into the office to meet everyone. Turns out my temporary accommodations are here too, Ducky can tell you about that and show you some photos I sent him. Last night I went out to dinner with two of my co-workers and I spent all day today in Athens. Boss, I walked on the Acropolis, it's 2400 years old! "

"That sounds like fun, Tim. Were you by yourself today, for your sightseeing?"

"No, Matt, the probie here, came with me. He's only been here for a few months, so he's been filling me in on things."

"That's good, so you two hit it off. And the woman who's pregnant?"

"Carla, yeah, she's great too. She and her husband are giving me a ride tomorrow. Pete, that's our boss, is having a get together to welcome me. All of them are great, one of the ladies made pastries to welcome me and Pete's wife brought in lunch for us yesterday."

"That's great, Tim. Pete Russell, yeah I've met him, he seems like a good man." Gibbs paused, "I'm glad you're doing so well, Tim, I've been worried but it sounds like Vance has done good with your assignments."

"He has, Boss, oh hey, I saw him in London on Wednesday."

"Yeah?"

"We finished our project early, put it into production with zero problems so he took my team out for lunch; it was really great to see him." Tim paused, "I'm babbling."

"No, Tim, it's fine, it's great hearing how you're doing. And zero problems, that means no bugs, right? That's good work, I'm proud of you! Listen I sent you a letter, wasn't much but I wanted to keep in touch, let you know how sorry I am."

"Boss…Ducky told me about Tony and Abby."

"They brought it on themselves, Tim, and so did I. And there were other issues with both of them."

"Yes, the director said that too. You know, it wasn't bad all the time, Boss, I was remembering last night that time Ziva and Tony got stuck in the shipping container and you and I worked together to find them."

"Aw, Tim. "

"And other times, I… learned a lot from you too."

"What not to do."

"Well yeah, that but I also learned some good stuff."

"Tim, I'd give anything to be able to go back and do things differently."

"That's good to hear, I wish we could do that too." Tim stopped as he realized that going forward, this was up to him, he could ignore his former team, keep them at a distance or he could stay in touch, they could work things out, forgive the past. At some point. Knowing that was what he wanted, he decided to just say what he needed to say to Gibbs, what he'd been too hurt and angry to say before. "Gibbs, I know we've got a lot of stuff between us to straighten out, and Tony too. And I know we're not a team anymore but I was hoping I could be part of your family someday."

"You are now, Tim, always have been."

"No I haven't been, that's been part of the problem; I've never been part of that."

"Oh God, Tim... I never meant…was that because Abby and Tony were my favorites?"

"Yes, because they were and then Ziva and Ducky. I was at the bottom of the heap, with Jimmy."

Gibbs sighed, "I guess we can't change the past, Tim, but I can change. I'm trying to figure out why I acted the way I have and change. So going forward…"

"That'd be good, I'd really like that. I…" Tim's phone started chirping at him. "Shoot, Boss my battery's running out, I have to go. I love you and Ducky; give Jack a hug from me."

"I love you too, Tim."

Tim ended the call and sat there in the dark, basking in those last words. He felt lighter, he was so glad that he'd trusted his instincts and called. Boss said that he loved him, hearing him say that brought little bubbles of happiness.

As he sat there thinking happy thoughts, his phone gave one final weak little chirp; he dug his charger out of his suitcase, no wonder the battery had died, and plugged it in. Suddenly exhausted, he lay down and was asleep in minutes, with a smile on his face even though his feet hurt!

* * *

Note 1: Matt, Amy and Margie's story of meeting on the Acropolis after meeting earlier in Vienna is a true story although I changed it to better fit Tim's story. While a friend and I were traveling in Europe a couple of years after we finished college (a hundred years ago), we stayed at a hostel in Vienna with a lot of other young people. One of the other girls was Amy from the northeast U.S. and yes, we all went to an open air concert and "waltzed" one night, I remember stumbling around, mostly laughing, with a young man from Mexico. From Vienna my friend and I went to Venice and days later unexpectedly found ourselves in Athens, a detour for us as we had had no plans to visit Greece – we'd had an unpleasant experience with a gondolier in Venice and decided to leave Italy. Mind you, nothing horrible had happened, we were just young, naïve and overreacted a bit. Anyway, our first day in Athens we were at the Acropolis and who should we run into but Amy!

Note 2: According to the official Radio Shack web site, there is no Radio Shack store in Greece, although they are in Egypt and the UAE, so they could be opening one in Piraeus any day now ;)! I just threw it in there as something familiar and useful for Tim.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone who's reading, following and reviewing - you all make my day!

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Four

Across the Atlantic, Tim's former boss handed the phone back to Ducky and sank down onto the couch in his father's living room. Tim had called to talk to him; Tim had been worried about him, he had called to check on him and to talk. They had spoken; they'd both said how they felt. He felt like he could breathe again. It wouldn't just be letters; they had talked once, maybe they would talk again. It wasn't over; he hadn't lost his whole family again. Tim said what he felt, that was important. And he still said he loved him after all that and at the end he had finally said the words to Tim, that he loved him.

He found he had tears in his eyes and suddenly Ducky was there beside him, pulling him into a hug. Jethro let his emotions out, but this time there was relief, hope and joy mixed in with the grief, remorse and anger which was mostly with himself but also Abby and DiNozzo. After awhile he realized Ducky was holding on just as tightly as he was and the two old friends hung onto each other as they realized the first steps toward healing had been taken. As Jethro felt his mind and heart calming, he decided he would call Tony later and see how he was. He'd promised to stay in touch and he would. He didn't know what would happen with his girls – Ziva had already left him, lost to them somewhere in Israel and he didn't know what would happen with Abby. He'd left her messages but she hadn't returned his calls. But Tim called to see if he was all right…his youngest hadn't completely given up on him and Jethro clung to that thought as he drifted off to sleep.

When Jack came home from the store an hour later, he found the two men leaning against each other on the couch sound asleep, Ducky with his phone in his hand. He stood and looked at the two and saw a difference in his boy's face. That strained, pinched sad face was gone. Leroy still looked exhausted but his sleep seemed more peaceful. Happy to see a positive change as he wondered what had happened, Jackson tiptoed out to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

XXX

Tim woke with a happy heart, still thinking about his conversation with Gibbs. He had the morning to himself as Carla and her husband weren't picking him up until 1400. He tucked his tablet under his arm and whistling a happy tune he headed downstairs to make breakfast. He poked around in the cupboards looking for the tray he'd noticed Tea using on Friday but instead found a thermos, which he put on the counter. When the coffee was brewed, he poured it into the thermos and capped it tightly. Finally locating the tray, he filled it with his breakfast plate, cutlery, thermos, mug, and container of cream and took it outside to the garden.

After he'd eaten, he took a walk around, admiring the landscaping. It was simple and elegant, providing shade and a sense of privacy. He flipped the fountain on and let it run while he enjoyed another coffee and decided to catch up on the e-book he'd started on the flight from DC to London. He'd been so busy since then he really hadn't had much time to read. He wasn't getting very far now and he finally realized that what he needed most was to write. He went inside to grab his laptop and fully charged phone and returned to the garden, making sure he set the alarm on the phone to give him enough time to get ready for the party. Once he had everything set, he opened a new document and started writing. Interspersed with his travels and sightseeing were his thoughts about the team, the decision to leave, his surprise party, the project, sharing the flat, Vance's visit and words to him, all the travel he'd done and all the wonderful things that had happened here. Every other sentence seemed to have something about his conversation with Gibbs and that was ok, it felt right. He didn't know what he'd do with this, it would likely just end up as a saved piece of free writing, but it felt important to just let it out. He wrote solidly for nearly two hours, only stopping when he went inside for lemonade.

He finally got it all out and felt better for it. His thoughts returned to the day and knowing he would probably be eating a lot, he decided to get some exercise before the party. He hadn't seen anyone running in the neighborhood and he hadn't thought to ask so he went for a walk instead. He'd put Matt's directions to the Flying Pig in his phone and now he decided that would be a good destination, to and from. Locking up, he set a brisk pace to the pub, enjoying looking at everything around him as he went. He went into the pub, bought a bottle of water and then headed back. His phone alarm chimed just as he entered his room, so he stripped down and took a shower, whistling again. He kept it up while he combed his hair and got dressed. Vance had been correct in advising him to buy local, he'd need to do that soon. That and start work on getting a tuxedo. Matt said it didn't take long and the embassy invitations usually arrived a month in advance, but still he'd rather be prepared. Start with one, even if he never got an invitation he wouldn't mind having a tux.

Carla and her husband arrived promptly at 1400 in their convertible VW Rabbit. Rather than dislodge Carla, Tim walked around to the driver's side to meet her husband Norm and climb in behind him. He slid over behind Carla to give himself more leg room.

Carla half turned, "Hey, have you had a good weekend?"

"Sure have! I had a walking tour of Piraeus and dinner with Kim and Matt Friday night, including a visit to the Flying Pig Pub. Saturday, Matt and I went into Athens, saw the Parthenon, Acropolis, a couple of museums and ran into two girls Matt met in Vienna last summer. We stayed late enough to see all the lights. "

"Wow, that's a busy weekend and today Trina and Pete's party! Hope you're getting some rest in between."

Tim laughed, "Oh yeah, I slept like the dead both nights!" He patted the seat beside him, "Never seen one of these in a convertible before."

Norm nodded, "And you won't see this one much longer, Tim. Not practical for babies, we'll be selling it in the next month or so."

Tim had a thought about that but decided to keep it to himself for now. It might be a fun car to have here. VW was reliable and there would be no worries here about driving in snow, he didn't think rain would be a problem on the rag top, probably got decent mileage, he thought the car was probably three or four years old. Matt had a Ford Fiesta, Kim a Toyota Yaris and both of those were good dependable vehicles but this…this could be fun. Not the Porsche, but his baby was in the past. Still, he would look around, ask around. He'd read about the Greek company NAMCO's plan to once again produce a Pony – with either a Citroen or Fiat engine – in 2014, but he thought he'd wait on that. He'd rather let others buy the first ones and see how they worked out. In the meantime, he needed to get his residency papers and then apply for a Greek driver's license. He'd read the requirements for that and was not looking forward to the bureaucracy but knew it was inescapable and hoped the others would have some words of wisdom for him. He pulled his mind back to the present as he watched the scenery pass by. He realized he had no idea what Norm did for a living and asked. Norm replied, "I teach at the University of Piraeus, in Science and Technology."

Tim grinned, "Ooh, right up my alley!"

"Really? Hmm, we'll have to talk about that later, my darling wife will be most happy if we don't immediately descend into geek mode! At the moment, I'm teaching environmental studies and dancing along with a Geology class whose professor abruptly departed for greener pastures two months after start of term. The campus is calm now as we've received funding and the students have gotten a break on tuition, but we've been teetering on the edge for a few years. Now we can all get back to teaching and studying, for this school year anyway!"

"I read about some of that. Glad to hear it's easing up."

Carla laughed at them, "Oh go ahead, Norm, ask him!"

"Ok, sweetie, thanks! So Tim…"

"Bachelor's in bio-medical engineering from Johns Hopkins and Masters in Computer Forensics from MIT."

Norm whistled. "And what is it you do for a living?"

"Believe it or not, I've used my academics in my career as an NCIS agent. Maybe not while running after dirtbags, but in figuring things out, examining evidence and you know computer forensics is really hot. I'm sure you know better than I do that the field is exploding – and I left MIT in early 2003."

"Oh yeah, there have been all kinds of innovations since then. But I still have to ask why a field agent with NCIS?"

"Personal history. My father was a Navy Commander, executive officer of the Enterprise. He and my little brother were murdered and the case was investigated by NCIS…well it was NIS then."

Carla turned to look at Tim, "Tell me they caught the bastard."

"Case has been cold for nearly 20 years."

"Tim!"

"Yeah, I know. When I was hired by the agency, I looked into it, even sent an inquiry to the Director at the time, I was told that I would never be allowed to work on it but it would be given priority. As far as I know, that's as far as it got. I asked again during the tenure of the next director but she didn't even bothering spinning her "maybe if we get around to it." I haven't asked Director Vance, but he knows about it. There are so many other priorities and it won't change anything, the past will still have happened exactly as it did."

"But the killer might have killed others."

"She's probably at least scammed other military personnel."

"She?"

"Over the years, I've become fairly certain, without any physical evidence, that it was my alleged stepmother. It's a long story and it's pretty nasty, rather not tell you on the way to a party!"

"Ooh, good point…but you will tell us, someday."

Tim shrugged. "Someday."

Norm adroitly changed the subject to something more pleasant and they were laughing at Carla's droll description of their cat's first experience with a catnip toy when they pulled up to the Russells' home. Even if it was the first Greek single family home Tim had seen, it was the most beautiful house he'd seen anywhere and that included the Georgian beauties he'd drooled over in England. There was a horseshoe shaped driveway with native landscaping on either side of the pavement. The house itself had two stories, all white, with columns on each side of what looked like a tiled or mosaic walkway, leading to a shaded portico and entrance. Norm rounded the curve of the driveway and parked behind a familiar car, Kim's Yaris. Hearing a car behind them, Tim turned to see Tea with a young man sitting beside her, in a vehicle he thought might be an Opel, waving as she parked behind them.

Norm jumped out of the car quickly to assist Carla. "I'm sorry, hon, I should have dropped you off at the entrance."

"Norm, you know I need to walk! It's standing that kills me."

Tim had climbed out Norm's side and now reached over and took a covered bowl from Carla as Norm helped her up.

"This is ridiculous; I'm like an elephant trying to stand." Tim gulped and decided to keep his mouth shut as there didn't seem to be any good answer to that, while Norm the smart husband quietly soothed his pregnant wife. Almost forgetting his own offering, Tim reached down into the floor well of the backseat to retrieve the bottle of Grecian wine he'd purchased in Athens yesterday. Matt had told him what little he knew of the Russells' preferences. Forgetting her woes, Carla grinned and shook her head at him. "This party is for you Tim; you didn't need to bring anything."

"That's what Matt said, but they've been so nice – all of you have been – that I wanted to say thanks."

Norm nodded, "They're great people, we've really enjoyed their friendship and I'm sure you will too. I understand wanting to say thanks, they welcomed us with a party too."

Tim grinned, "Boy I sure have landed on my feet here!" He got funny looks for that but just smiled. No need to get into all that either. He thought that he needed to cultivate some happy or witty stories of his past, other topics besides a cold murder case and a cold team. He thought of some Ducky stories – Pete had already spoken with Ducky so that was good – and some stories from his college years that might be interesting and not ruin everyone's mood. Oh, he could brag about Sarah and Rob; that was good too. He could tell the koala on the submarine story – that was always good, both an animal story and a funky case story all wrapped up on one incident. Oh and the "superhero" story…well that had a murder in it, so maybe not today.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Finally been able to add another photo, the one now showing is the Acropolis with the Parthenon on top.

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Five

Tea and her companion joined them as they walked toward the house; she introduced the young man as her boyfriend Adan. As they drew near the entrance, Tim saw that the walkway had mosaic images, laid out to look as if they were walking under the sea with various creatures welcoming them, including a mermaid, a merman and four smaller figures, two mermaids and two merboys. Remembering the Russells had four children, Tim grinned at what had to be the depiction of the Russell family as sea creatures.

Carla caught his eye, "Wonderful, isn't it? Trina did it when Kyra was a baby. She's an artist, you know, did those paintings in the office."

"Wow, the ancient ships? Those are beautiful and this is so clever!"

Norm smiled, "Make sure you see the inside of the downstairs bathroom."

"And the kitchen."

"Ah yes, the kitchen."

Tim nodded as they entered the house. He tried not to sprain his neck looking at everything at once, but the interior of the home was just as lovely and just as unique as the mosaic on the walkway. Norm grinned as he watched the young man swing his head with those expressive green eyes from side to side, not wanting to miss a thing. Oh yeah, he could see why Carla was so happy and relieved; her job, the office, her people, would be fine in Tim's hands and he really did fit right in. She hadn't said anything to anyone else, but Carla thought when their babies were old enough for school, she'd go back to work at NCIS, although not as a field agent. By that time she figured Pete would be retired and although no one had said anything, she could see Tim taking over the Lead spot.

They walked through the foyer, through to the dining area and to the back of the house. Walking through an opening left by what looked like a sliding glass wall, Norm and Carla led Tim, Tea and Adan onto a large terrace. It was well shaded without blocking out the light and had a wonderful view of their back yard and beyond. On one side there was an infinity pool that looked out to an ocean view. On another side there was a swatch of green, although Tim didn't think it was lawn as it didn't have that particular green sheen to it. Perhaps it was ground cover. A path led through that to a garden that stretched along the side and to the back. Tim could see the path seemingly continuing and thought it was probably a clever crafted optical illusion. There were tall elegant flowers and shrubs, shorter flowers along the edges and covering the base of the shrubs, peeking out here and there. And lots of shade trees, from what he could see several different kinds of trees. Pine was easy to identify, then he noticed several olive trees and idly wondered what they did with the fruit, he also recognized fig trees.

He spotted a hammock strung between two of the trees, a small table nearby with a tall glass on it, straw still sticking out. He wondered if Trina painted scenes like that, he could just imagine Pete relaxing in that hammock after a tough case, sipping on a cool beverage. He had friends at home, a married couple, who had decided to have their portrait painted. However, instead of the traditional portrait they'd gathered several items that described them: a book Buck had written, a garden book written by Sue, a vase of her favorite flowers, freshly picked from their own extensive garden, an antique clock and their beloved dog, and that was their portrait – a look into who they were rather than how they looked. The little vignette he was seeing with the hammock reminded him of that.

Pete and Trina warmly greeted them and at first chiding Tim for bringing a gift, graciously accepted it. Trina introduced them to their son Lukas, while Kyra waved hello to them from the pool. Trina explained that their two older children, Stephan and Phoebe, were involved in a rehearsal for a school play and would be home in an hour or so. There was a wet bar on one side of the terrace and the four new arrivals followed Pete over to place their drink orders. Tim was relieved to hear Norm ask for a beer, and then realized this was an office party and everyone had to be at work tomorrow, there wouldn't be any heavy drinking here! He had planned to ask for a beer or a glass of white wine but then he heard Carla ask for frozen limeade and Tim wanted to try one. Pete smiled at him as he placed two frozen limeades on the bar.

"Have you had a good weekend so far, Tim?"

"It's been wonderful, Pete, all of it! Walking tour and dinner with Kim and Matt Friday night, then Athens yesterday with Matt, even got to see Athens all lit up last night."

Pete grinned, "Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it? Even after all the years I've lived here, I still love walking up the Acropolis to the ancient buildings. Just blows my mind!"

Tim laughed, "I told the Director last week that I'd be taking vacations in England, but now that I'm here, I don't think so! I'll let my family know if they want to see me, they'll have to come here!"

Pete laughed, "Well yes, but you know, a trip away now and then makes you appreciate home even more on your return." Tim nodded thoughtfully.

Tim wandered through the garden with his limeade and ran into Kim and her fiancé who was also on his first visit to the Russells. Kim introduced Tim to Evander who looked at him quizzically. Tim laughed and spoke in Greek, guessing the man was a native. "I'm the new guy Kim was kind enough to take on a walking tour and had dinner with Friday night."

Evander shook his head quickly, "My apologies for my rudeness. Yes, I know that – about Friday. And I know your name, although it should be the original name, Timotheos not Timothy! However, your eyes, I feel I have seen you somewhere before."

Tim decided to just play along although he had no intention of revealing his alter ego Gemcity. "Well, I've been in London for most of the last month, maybe there? Or I spent all day in Athens with Matt on Saturday, maybe you saw us there? Let's see, I was out walking this morning, stopped in at the Flying Pig."

Evander shook his head, "No matter, again I apologize for my rudeness."

Tim smiled, "You weren't rude, just curious." He continued to talk with the two, trying to ease Evander past his embarrassment. The young man worked as a real estate agent and offered to help Tim find a place to live. Tim remembered Matt mentioning "a friend of Kim's" helping him find his apartment and agreed to the help. Evander gave him a business card and Tim tucked it away, telling him it would likely be a few weeks still, he wanted to get settled in at work.

By that time, both Eva and Matt had arrived. Eva brought her husband Caleb, a graduate student, and Matt arrived solo. Tim was almost relieved, it meant he wasn't the only bachelor there and then he realized how ludicrous that was as he'd only been in the country for three days! Back on the terrace, he was speaking with Trina who offered to give him a tour of the house.

Tim grinned, "I've been told to make sure I don't miss the downstairs bathroom or the kitchen. "

Trina smiled an impish smile. "Oh there's more than that. Come on, I'll take you, let's see if Evander would like to join us."

The two men joined her as she led them upstairs. Each room was done differently and Tim thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Possibly because of his childhood on the streets, living in a tent and carrying everything he owned with him everywhere he went, he was fascinated by the way people decorated their dwellings. That included Gibbs' Craftsman with its' worn out, sad emptiness to Ducky's brownstone with its bookcases and cabinets crammed with books, treasures and comfortable furniture. He supposed he could count his collection of records and books as décor although he doubted anyone else would think so. Until recently, he'd been happy with plain walls – as long as they were permanent walls with a roof overhead and not made of nylon or canvas being held down with rocks, bricks or stakes in the ground, he was content. His travels with James had taught him to look at things with his own eye, what he liked and what he didn't. He'd enjoyed the comfort of the flat, although James hadn't been there long enough to put his own stamp on it. Now Tim started to feel excited about finding a place of his own here. Yes, it probably wouldn't be a house – he didn't want the maintenance for one thing – but it would be his and he could buy things that suited him and not leave it as…utilitarian as his apartment in Silver Spring had been. He wondered if once he found a place Trina would give him some decorating ideas. Nothing fussy but he wasn't seeing anything fussy here. He'd like some nice art work and some comfortable furniture to complement his bed. Currently in storage with the rest of his belongings, it would be shipped as soon as he had an address to ship it to.

Trina had seen the look in his eyes as he drank everything in and wondered. "Tim, what was your family home like? "

Tim felt like the proverbial deer caught in the lights of an oncoming car. "Uh, well, we were navy, so we moved a lot. Mostly it was just our stuff, basic furniture, photos of us. When I was little in Puerto Rico, I remember some decorations, but a couple more moves and those disappeared. My last place – my apartment in Maryland - was pretty utilitarian; with the hours we worked I wasn't there enough to really care about what it looked like."

"If I'm guessing correctly, you're thinking you can put more of you into your home?"

Tim smiled and nodded. "Frankly, I never thought of spending money to decorate. Up until I joined NCIS, finances were pretty tight."

Trina nodded, "And now you're seeing possibilities." She smiled at him, "When you find a place, I'd be happy to help you put things together, find a thing or two to reflect your personality and your home."

From the way Tim's face lit up, she knew she'd been right on the money. This young man had touched her heart already. Pete hadn't said too much, he couldn't really, but she had gotten the idea that Tim had had a rough time and she was glad he was here with them. Once he settled in, she'd throw another party; introduce him to some of the young women she knew. With his looks and personality, he'd have no trouble finding himself a mate here. Although, she frowned to herself, why hadn't he found one already? Surely the women in the States weren't so blind or stupid that they couldn't see his worth?

As they traveled back to the terrace, Tim smelled what he hoped was dinner cooking. When they got outside, it was to find Pete with an apron and manning the grill as he watched a variety of shish kabobs cook. Lamb seemed to be the predominant meat, skewered with onions, potatoes and various vegetables. There were also vegetable kabobs and Tim guessed there was at least one vegetarian or vegan amongst the guests.

As they were called to dinner, they were directed to a table with a range of side dishes – salads, vegetables, casseroles, breads along with plates, napkins and cutlery, just inside the sliding doors to prevent the bees and bugs from getting to them. From there, they went to the grill and selected their entrée. The outdoor table had name cards and they had a bit of fun finding their names.

Dinner was both delicious and entertaining. Norm and Pete took it upon themselves to entertain the table with what Tim recognized as tall tales, stories stretched to the limits of believability. Both men liked to fish, deep sea fishing, and by the time they finished, it seemed each of them had caught the biggest…whatever in any ocean anywhere. The two men had obviously done this before, by the time they finished, Tim was holding his sides, sore from laughing. In the meantime, he'd eaten more at one sitting than he wanted to admit and they hadn't had dessert yet.

As the group finished their feast, Kyra and Lukas stood to announce they'd set up the volleyball net and no one could have dessert until at least one game had been played. Carla was exempt from playing, so she kept score while Caleb refereed. They split into two teams and played for nearly an hour before the two youngsters decided it was time for dessert. Stephan and Phoebe had arrived and eaten their dinners while the others were playing, so more introductions were made and they chatted about the school play as the group worked their way through the variety of sumptuous desserts.

The party broke up before 8 PM, a nice long afternoon and evening, not late enough to give anyone any excuse to be late to work in the morning, especially considering not everyone at the party worked at NCIS. Tim was glad for the open air on the way home, he thought if the top had been up, he would have been asleep in a couple of minutes. He had a container of food with him that Trina insisted he take, ignoring the fact that she'd already stocked the refrigerator for him. He thought he'd share with the others tomorrow. Heading inside, he put the plate in the refrigerator and then made a pot of coffee. He poured a mug full and then headed out into the garden to relax for a bit before he headed upstairs. He switched on the fountain and the lights and marveled at the light and sound. After he finished his coffee, he pulled out his phone and took more photos and then sent some of the ones he'd taken at the party along with the new ones to Ducky, Sarah and Rob. Then he grabbed his laptop, wanting to capture a couple of Pete and Norm's stories and the day in general.

XXX

In Stillwater Sunday afternoon, Ducky, Jethro and Jack sat at the table after a late lunch and looked at the photos Tim had sent. He'd sent an accompanying note explaining the party and who everyone was. There were several shots of Tim, mostly with one or more of the others and some wonderful candid shots. One showed him laughing, his food laden fork halfway to his mouth, eyes closed and his mouth, thankfully free of food, nearly splitting his face in half in what looked like helpless laughter. Jethro had to swallow past that one; he'd never seen Tim laugh like that, so openly, carefree. But then he'd rarely seen him outside of the office, not on a social occasion, except for Thanksgivings at Ducky's. Another shot had Tim in mid air during a volleyball game, grinning fiercely down at the guy on the other side of the net; they thought that was Evander who was someone's boyfriend, as he slapped the ball down. Ducky thought Jimmy could show him how to save these to a computer and print them out and when he said that Jethro asked for copies of all the ones with Tim in them. Jack asked for a couple of them as well and Ducky made a list. As they were doing that, Ducky's phone beeped again and a document appeared from Tim, a write- up of the party, including a couple of the fish tales. Ducky knew how to increase the font so once he'd done that, each man took a turn reading Tim's words. They all laughed at the fish tales and Tim's description of the volley ball game. Jethro still felt an ache when he thought of the young man, but now it was tempered with the knowledge that Tim wanted to stay in touch, that maybe this was fixable although he knew he had a lot of soul searching to do. Tim knew Ducky would still be in Stillwater today so he had obviously wanted to share all this with his former boss and Jack.

Jethro had spoken with Tony last evening and found him tired and a little whiny but overall, better than he'd dared hope. News to him was Tony's revelation that Vance had mandated counseling as part of his continued employment. That counseling had started earlier in the week and DiNozzo had been given some homework to do, that was part of his whine. Gibbs had said he'd heard from Tim but Tony hadn't had much to say about that. His former boss realized that was actually a step in the right direction. A baby step, sure, but not having much to say was much better than complaining and blaming. He would cling to this one little step with hope.

XXX

Still sitting in the garden, Tim sat back in his chair after he'd sent his write-up of the party, knowing Ducky would be sharing it with Gibbs and Jack. Treasuring that thought, he grabbed his mug and headed up stairs to write some more and get ready for his first official day at NCIS: Athens.


	6. Chapter 6

Finding Home

Chapter Six

Tim's first day as an official member of the Athens office dawned bright and clear. He was already up, he awoke at 05:30 and jumped out of bed, excited to get to work with his new colleagues. Remembering he hadn't yet set up his desk, he made himself a full breakfast and had two cups of coffee before he raced back upstairs. After showering, drying his hair and dressing, he headed back downstairs to start his work day. It was 06:45 and he wondered who would be in first, he thought it might be Carla. She had mentioned yesterday that she wasn't sleeping well and he knew that despite her assurances she was probably concerned that the two of them have everything ready, that is have Tim ready, before she went on bed rest. He had his desk set up and was reviewing more files at the conference table when Carla came in. He'd taken note of the herbal tea she'd had Friday and had the water heating in the electric kettle before she opened the door to the office.

She grinned as she moved into the office, "What time?"

Tim huffed, "06:00. Figured you'd be here early and I hadn't set my desk up yet."

She laughed, "I came in early because I knew you'd think that! I'm just glad you weren't down here at 0300 setting it up." The electric kettle clicked off, a sign the water was hot. Tim moved over to the kitchen counter, "Want tea this morning?"

Carla looked surprised and then nodded, "I shouldn't be surprised. Yes please, with a couple of drops of honey."

Tim grinned as he already had the jar of honey on the counter. At her look he said, "Trained observer!" Once Carla's tea was ready, Tim joined her at the table with his own mug of herbal tea. He'd decided he'd had enough caffeine for awhile; he didn't want to scare anybody. They sat at the conference table and finished the file review they'd started on Friday. Tim had some procedural questions, especially around the cases shared between the other European offices. At some point in the discussion, Tim commented that he should probably have more in his 'go' bag than had been necessary in DC and then corrected his term to 'case' bag.

Carla looked at him, "I like that better, it's much clearer. And yes, do have some warm, some cool clothes in there and boots, always have boots with you! One time we ended up in the Sahara desert and I was the only one with boots." Tim made a note to get some desert or hiking boots. She continued, "I'm sure you already do this, but I always have protein bars, bottles of water and any medications I'm on and my own first aid kit."

Tim blinked. "Good point, I'm used to having Dr. Mallard or Dr. Palmer, the MEs at Headquarters, around to treat injuries. Guessing we're on our own?"

"Yes, we all have first aid certificates and Matt worked as an EMT for awhile. If we need more than that, we either call for a fly out or rely on local medical help. "

"And as far as a medical examiner?"

"Local, we have two that we contract with; they're attached to the Athenian and Piraeus Police departments."

"Do they come out to crime scenes with us?"

"Most of the time they're already there – they'll be on scene and the PD will determine it's something for NCIS. If we get the first call, we'll give them a heads-up and one of them will join us." She smiled, "We make it work."

"What about when we get called out to other countries?"

"Whichever office gets the call makes the request of whichever police department is in place – or the military - to maintain the crime scene. In that case, we'd rely on a local medical examiner, although there have been times it's just been a mortician and we've had to call in an ME from the Navy or a sister agency."

"Oh, you mean the CIA."

"Yes, they're helpful to us. I know in the States they can be a big pain but out here, they have authority and can be very useful."

Tim laughed, "That will take some getting used to!"

Carla nodded, "Took me awhile. Do you have any contacts?"

"We worked with one particular agent in DC but he always brought trouble and he's persona non grata at NCIS. Other than that, I know of a couple CIA agents, but I don't know them personally."

"Well, you'll be meeting our local guys when we take you to the Embassy to present your credentials." At the look on Tim's face, she continued, "Yes, it's a formality but has to be done, all of us have been. Pete will be with you."

"Actually it sounds kind of interesting."

"They'll want to know about your background, not just as an agent, but prior to NCIS. Where did you grow up, what did your parents do - I guess in your case that would also include whoever your guardian was after your father died."

"The Embassy will want to know that?"

"Yes, for security purposes. Even though you've already been vetted from birth to this morning, they still want to hear it firsthand from you."

"An interview."

"Yes."

Tim nodded, glad that Pete knew his background, obviously he needed to speak with him about this.

"And then I'll get my residency papers?"

"Yes, I'm sure they're holding onto them at the Embassy, they'll give them to you after the interview."

"And once I have those I can rent an apartment and get my driver's license."

"You got it!"

"Sorry, I've sidetracked us; we should probably get back to our procedural discussion."

"You're right and that's my bad."

The two spent another hour reviewing the duties of the Senior Field Agent. Tim was familiar with them but it was one thing to read them and another to hear Carla describe what really happened. One of the things she mentioned was that they had been short a junior agent for some time, since their last agent had gone back to the States for a family emergency and never returned. Even with Tim there, they were still short a field agent because Carla was confined to desk duty. So far they had managed but in Carla's opinion it was only a matter of time before a big case came along and they were short an agent, especially with Matt still a four month probie. Tim was certain that Pete and Vance were working on it and figured it was the budget that had kept them short. Thinking of the budget reminded him to ask about the implementation of the new program.

Carla grinned, "What time is it? Ok, 07:35, which is 06:35 in London. Let me write that down. We have a pool going here and in London as to when you'd ask!"

Tim smirked, "Well I was the project manager so I do have some sort of proprietary interest."

She smiled, "Of course you do and I'm amazed you haven't asked before now." Tim hung his head in mock shame, "Had too much fun, I mean I was too busy over the weekend!"

"Ok, I'll put you out of your proprietary misery! Kim successfully implemented the program on Saturday after you and Matt left. She and I ran test cases Saturday afternoon while you were dallying with Matt's two lady friends from Vienna."

Tim shook his head, "Right under my nose!"

Carla giggled, "You actually helped us by having Matt stay over Friday night. Kim waited until she figured Matt was in the guest room and then arranged for him to text her in the morning when you two left the office and when you planned to return. The hardest part was nobody saying anything yesterday. Norm and Tea both were dying to ask you about your London work because they knew that would lead you to asking the question."

"So it's in production, I could be testing it now."

"You could, but that's already done, my friend."

Tim sighed, "And that will take some getting used to. Even though I'm a Field Agent, Vance pulled me for special projects."

"How many does he run in a given year? I thought the budget was so tight!"

"It is, the projects weren't always for NCIS…um you know, we should get back to the case files. "

"Oh no, you're not stopping now! Spill!" Tim sighed, how to get his foot out of his mouth?

"Well, you know I went to MIT so I have the electronic background and I used to doodle around, write programs for my team to use. I knew the folks in the Cybercrimes unit so they'd beta test stuff for me and I'd just use the programs myself – no one else on my team was very tech savvy and it was easier to just present the information and not have to try and explain it to my boss who didn't want to know anyway, as long as it was legal. Somehow when he was still Assistant Director, Vance found out about a program I'd written and shared with a guy who'd been in FLETC with me. It was a simple little thing but when Vance became director he approached me about writing other programs. Anyway to make a long story short, people in other agencies found out what I was doing and when I wouldn't leave NCIS, they approached Vance and if it was something we could use too, he'd ask me if I wanted to take it on. So now I have a few programs copyrighted although most of them belong to the government. "

Carla just sat and looked at him. "I'm glad we had that conversation in the car yesterday because I do understand what drives you to put your life on the line every day as a Field Agent for NCIS. You could be earning big bucks in the tech industry!"

Tim looked at the files in front of him. "Money isn't everything, I've lived without it and yeah it's good to have, but for me, I need to be satisfied with and challenged by what I'm doing and writing code wouldn't do that. I write a program, someone can order their hamburger before they get to a restaurant, big whoop. I'm a field agent, I help stop a terrorist cell, saving maybe hundreds of lives…that's what matters."

Carla reached over and gave him a little hug. "Must be quite a story in that, Tim, for you to be so driven. It's not only your father's murder, is it?" Tim shook his head but didn't say anything. "Ok, we're new to each other and you probably don't like talking about whatever it is anyway. Just know I have younger brothers and I don't give up easy!" Tim smiled at her, Carla reminded him of Kate sometimes.

Gathering their papers, they headed back to their desks, just as Pete walked in at 0750. Kim and Matt arrived next and Tea slid in with just a minute to spare before 0800.

Pete speared Tim with a look, "What time did you start work today?"

Tim smiled, "Not until 0645, Pete, and that was just setting up my desk. I didn't really start working until Carla came in a few minutes later."

Pete turned his look to Carla, "And why were you in so early?"

She shrugged, "I couldn't sleep, felt like the babies were doing gymnastics."

Their boss gave her a long look and then nodded. "Get used to that. Trina was surprised when ours weren't born wearing football helmets." Tim hadn't been around many pregnant women in his life and wasn't sure whether that was really a joke or not so settled for a smile. Carla nodded in complete understanding.

"Ok, so what are you two up to this morning?"

"We've completed our case reviews and have been going over procedures."

"Oh good, that'll help immensely when we have a call out." Pete paused, "I imagine things will seem different for awhile, Tim, you'll get used to it."

Tim chuckled, "I know I will, Pete, I'm not worried! I was surprised to hear I have to be introduced at the Embassy and my credentials presented."

"Yeah, we like to keep that as a surprise, although it really is just a courtesy. The Embassy likes to know all of us Federal Agents and it's always good to meet our resident Marines and of course our CIA brethren. "

"Plural?"

"Yes, with the economic problems and the unrest here, the CIA bumped up its presence. There are two agents and their support staff here now."

Pete laughed at the carefully crafted blank look on Tim's face. "That's good, if I didn't know you I'd fall for that! I know we've been saying this but you'll get used to the CIA too, they really are helpful here."

Tim nodded, "The agents I've dealt with in DC blew up my team mate's car without us knowing he wasn't in it and then didn't bother telling us that; we thought he was dead until our ME did the autopsy and found the dead body wasn't our SFA; another CIA agent tried to free a cold blooded murderer we had in custody. Another one gave a caller an old address of a political refugee leading to the deaths of several people in the DC area. The first guy, Trent Kort also tricked us into bringing down a criminal on US soil so the agent could confiscate the millions of dollars the guy was sitting on…for the CIA. Same agent also participated in and lost an eye to a covert operation that resulted in the Port to Port Killer a couple of years ago. Another CIA agent wined and dined a teammate, never bothered telling her he was involved in the Port to Port case which our team was also involved in and then after he "mistakenly" murdered a Navy officer, covered it up, admitted it when she busted him and then had the nerve to propose marriage. As far as I know, all of these agents are still in good standing. "

Pete and Carla were looking at him, mouths open. Tim continued with a nod, "So it might take me awhile, a few years maybe, to learn to trust anyone in the CIA."

Carla gulped, "Wow, one rogue agent, it happens…but three, no four? That's scary." Pete nodded, agreeing. "Have to say I've not run into anything like that. Never worked at Headquarters or in the DC area, I'm sure there's always a lot going on…with all the alphabets right there."

Tim grinned, "Oh yeah, there's always something going on!" He paused, "Cold cases then, until we get a call out?"

"Yes, for Carla and Matt, and for you until about 11:00. Then you and I will be leaving for our 11:30 appointment at the embassy and we're invited to lunch too."

Tim opened his mouth to ask and Pete jumped back in. "No, it's not the norm; it's your previous location that has the powers that be over there curious. They'll want to know whatever they can about what's happening in the States."

Tim nodded, "I got that from Kim and Matt on Friday and I'm sure I'll be doing the same thing in a few months."

Carla nodded, "My sister has learned to pay attention to what's going on because she knows I'll be asking when I call! It's hard to know if what you read on the internet is one person, 10, a crowd, one town or true at all."

Tim nodded, "ZNN is pretty real. Back in DC, we had their news playing all day. But of course that doesn't always give the details you want, huh?"

Pete nodded, "Exactly and it's very easy to get caught up in what's happening here and not pay attention to what's happening in our own country. It's one of the little things you'll figure out here. It's important to remember that although we live and work here, we are citizens of the U.S., we vote for the U.S. President."

Carla interjected, "But it's also important to know what's going on here, this is not our home country, but it is where we live right now. "

Pete tilted his head in acknowledgment and Tim smiled at the two of them, "It sounds like there is no right answer. We live here so we need to pay attention to what's going on here – and that's important for our work too, but we're citizens of another country so we need to pay attention there too. "

Pete grinned, "You're catching on fast, young Obi-wan! Now, excuse me but I need coffee."

Tim turned to Carla, "Should I wear a suit?"

"No, you're fine as you are."

"Ok, then I am going to grab a few files and get to work."

"Good idea, me too!"

Matt had his head down in a file but Tim saw him grinning anyway. He sketched a little salute to him as he sat down with his files. Picking the top one, he went through it carefully, taking notes as he read. He chuckled to himself as he logged on to the agency system, finding the new program and using it to update the cold case. Yep, it worked!

The rest of the morning went quickly as Tim moved through the files he'd taken. Matt had some questions and they worked together for awhile, Tim showing the young man different aspects of the file, the things that needed to be updated and reading through agents' personal notes for any gleam of a hint of a lead.

* * *

Coming up: a twist during Tim's first official day of NCIS:Athens


	7. Chapter 7

You know, no matter how often I say this, it'll never be enough: Thank you Harmonfreak1 for ALL of your support!

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Seven

A couple of minutes before 1100, Pete came out of his office and handed Tim an envelope.

"Here are the papers they'll want. It'll be one of the aides, not the Ambassador herself."

Tim nodded, "Ok."

They had a quick drive into Athens and soon were pulling up to the security gate. Pete spoke with the Marine guard, who nodded, peered in to see McGee who passed his badge and id over. The guard checked both his and Pete's ids, checked the backseat and trunk and then scanned under the car. Finally they were allowed through. After parking, they went through additional security at the entrance to the embassy. Tim had removed his knives from his belt and shoe, much to the amazement and amusement of the others, and left them at the office. Now he handed over his Sig. Once through security, they took an elevator to the third floor. Tim wondered if he'd been in an embassy when he was a child too young to remember. Probably not as his father had been stationed in Puerto Rico, part of the U.S. and then Okinawa when he was very young and he thought he remembered everything about Okinawa. The place that had thrown his father and his stepmother together, the meeting that Tim was certain had led to his father and Patrick's deaths a few years later.

They entered a room that instantly said "conference" and the people inside turned to meet them. There were two men, older than Tim and a young woman. Tim figured one person was the ambassador's aide and the other two might be the CIA agents. Pete introduced him to the young woman, Beth Donahue who was the aide, and the two men, George Edwards and Jack Hughes. Tim was right; they were the two resident CIA agents. Remembering that his Director had said the CIA could be helpful out here, Tim had made a decision this morning to publicly give them the benefit of the doubt while inwardly resolving not to trust either until they had proved their trustworthiness. He was politely professional when introduced to them. Ms. Donahue had taken his manila envelope and left the room. Pete made small talk with the spooks while Tim listened quietly. When Hughes asked Tim directly what NCIS office he'd transferred from, Tim replied DC and Edwards said he'd been stationed at Langley for awhile. Tim worked to keep his body language relaxed as Pete changed the subject and Ms. Donahue luckily returned, followed shortly by the Ambassador herself. She greeted Pete warmly and was equally warm toward Tim when introduced. He genuinely relaxed as he was charmed into talking about his first days in Greece. Eventually, the aide led the way to a dining room and the two CIA agents excused themselves. Tim enjoyed the lunch and the conversation as the Ambassador, a career diplomat, spoke of her various postings. She asked about his father and although startled as he was rarely asked about the late Commander, he was happy to talk about the man who while not having been around during a whole lot of his childhood, had still managed to teach him a great deal. He'd taught him strength and given him definitive values, enough so that he could grow up on his own and also raise Sarah and Rob.

After lunch and over coffee, the Ambassador handed Tim back his credentials and his residency papers which had been approved by the Greek government. He was now officially a foreign national legally working and living in Greece. Smiling, she also handed him another smaller envelope with his name handwritten and gave Pete several other similar envelopes. Her eyes twinkling, she asked if he'd seen a tailor about his tux yet and he smiled, saying it was on his list to do this week. She laughingly explained that normally the invitations were mailed to the office but knowing the two of them would be here today, her assistant had asked her to give them the invitations. The party would be held in five weeks so there was plenty of time to have the tux made.

He and Pete left shortly after that and Tim decided to broach the subject of the CIA agents on the way back. "Pete, I'm going to let Edwards and Hughes know about the others. Seems only fair."

"That's a good idea, Tim, I'm glad to hear you say that. I can also let you take a look at some files; see how each of them has helped us."

Tim nodded, "That'd be good. I'd like to ask them to meet me for drinks if that's appropriate."

"Yes, of course, just make it somewhere neutral, somewhere you won't normally frequent, for instance, don't meet them at the Flying Pig."

Tim nodded.

"When we get back to the office, we'll figure out a good place for you to meet them…and you name the place, Tim, not them."

"Understood, I keep the meet in my control."

"Exactly."

The men had handed Tim business cards that included their cell numbers; he decided he would contact them as soon as he and Pete had decided on a good meeting place. The office was quiet when they walked in, Tea handed Pete a phone message and smiled at Tim. Matt and Carla looked up expectantly; Kim was on the phone but waved.

Tim grinned, "I'm legal! And I have my first invitation to an embassy soiree!" Chuckling, Pete handed out the rest of the invitations.

"Tim, are you going to call the tailor today?"

"Maybe Matt, have a couple other things to handle first. Tomorrow at the latest." Tim followed Pete into his office and Pete opened a file on his computer. "Kim keeps a running list of places we use for meets, when we've used them, etc. Let's take a look…ah, here's the one I was thinking about. It's in Athens and in a central neighborhood, fairly quiet, but with enough tourists there so three American men won't be out of place. "

Pete grinned at Tim, "Sounds all cloak and dagger doesn't it?"

Tim laughed. "Yeah, a bit!"

"Just give them a call and set it up, maybe for Wednesday night if we don't have a case. You'll need to see Matt's tailor tomorrow night and probably have a fitting on Thursday evening."

Tim meaning it as a joke said, "What about backup?"

Pete nodded, "Yeah, good idea. Let's see…"

Tim interrupted him, "Pete I was joking!"

"Oh, well it's not a bad idea but they know all of us."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm not worried about them, just a heck of a time for you to make your first solo trip into Athens." He looked at Tim, "Or you're a grown man, a very smart person and a trained federal agent - and you will be fine."

"Thanks."

Tim went back to his desk and called Edwards, the one who had been stationed at Langley. When he answered, Tim asked if he and Hughes were available to meet him for drinks Wednesday. Hughes must have been close by as there were murmurs and then an affirmative. Tim gave the agent the name and address of the pub and the day and time for the meet. Edwards agreed and then asked what this was about. Tim just said he had something to discuss and that Pete had suggested they get together away from their respective agencies.

Once Tim made that call, he felt a certain sense of relief. On a roll, he called Matt's tailor, explained what he needed and made an appointment for Tuesday evening. Then feeling he had neglected work for far too long, he went back to his cold case files. By 1700 he was following an electronic lead he'd dug out of the new system when Pete buzzed him, motioned him into the office and had him close the door.

"Tim, Director Vance has asked us to call him via Skype. Don't know what it's about." Tim nodded, hoping it wasn't bad news. He pulled his chair around and sat next to Pete as he contacted the DC office. Ms. Cooke answered and grinned at Tim. "Tim, it's good to see you! Hello Agent Russell. Can you hold on for a moment, please? The Director just got back from the Hill."

Tim tried to relax, surely if it was bad news Pam would have acted differently. Pete patted his arm, "I'm sure it's fine, maybe he just wants an update."

Vance appeared on screen. "Thanks for calling back. Good to see you both. Special Agent McGee, I have news for you and I apologize, I should have contacted you last week but I wanted to wait until you were at the office and somewhat settled in."

"Sir?"

"Relax, Timothy, everyone's fine." Tim nodded.

"Before Agent DiNozzo left for his new post in Bremerton, he and Gibbs worked one last case together, a cold case. "

Pete reached out to Tim as the blood drained from Tim's face.

"Sir."

"Yes Tim, it was your family's case, I thought it was the least those two could do. They dropped the ball on everything else, they sure as hell…well never mind. "

"_Sir?_"

"They solved it, Tim. Finally after twenty seven years you have justice. It was your stepmother; turns out she was a spy for the Soviet Union. Only she wasn't your stepmother, no one has been able to find any record of a legal marriage, either in the US or Japan, the original agent believed she'd somehow tricked your father into a marriage ceremony with a phony officiate. You can read the file later, Legal's cleaning it up now, but yes, she was driving the car that hit the car you three were in, she knew he was picking you and Patrick up from school, knew about the camping trip and the propane canister. It was cold blooded premeditated murder. And she hired someone to finish you off in the hospital, Tim, while you were in your coma, but someone interrupted him and he lost his nerve. She killed him too. Because Gibbs was able to prove some of her covert operations for a currently combatant country, she's been sent to Gitmo. It's over, son, finally."

Tim knew he should say something but he couldn't find any words. He was frozen in time, listening to the screech of metal against metal, feeling the wind on him as he was thrown out of the car. He vaguely heard the Director and Pete talking but he had no idea what they said. He sat there and started to shiver. He thought of calling Sarah and telling her but he couldn't move. Pete grabbed a throw that was on the small sofa in his office and threw it over Tim's shoulders. Eva saw the motion through the glass wall and went to the kitchen to make some hot tea with sugar for Tim. She didn't know what was wrong but it was not cold in here and Tim hadn't been ill earlier, so perhaps he'd had a shock of some sort. She knew from her mother the nurse that hot tea with extra sugar was a decent remedy for a shock if there was no physical injury.

Pete watched helplessly as his new agent sat shivering and silent. When Eva appeared with a steaming mug of something, he motioned her in and took the cup gratefully. "Thanks. Would you tell the others to wrap it up for the day, to get going?" Eve nodded and withdrew. Pete saw that Tim's hands were shaking too much to hold the cup, so he held it for him.

"Tim this is hot tea, you've had a shock and you need to drink some of this. I'm sure that's what your friend Ducky would want you to do."

The name Ducky got through to Tim and he took a sip of the tea, grimacing at the sweetness. Tim's cell rang but Pete couldn't reach it, so he just let it go. A few minutes later, his phone rang and the id said Mallard on it. He picked up the receiver. "Russell."

"Agent Russell, this is Donald Mallard, Timothy's friend. I've just heard from the director that our young man has been told the news and wanted to check on him."

Pete replied, "He's here with me in my office, Dr. Mallard and I'm sure he'd love to hear your voice, this has been a big shock. I'm going to hold the phone up to his ear now…ok, Doctor, go ahead."

Starting to recover a bit, Tim had recognized the tea, Ducky's surefire remedy as well as Eva's and heard Pete say Dr. Mallard. So he was prepared to hear the voice of his beloved friend when the phone appeared at his ear. Reaching up, he grabbed onto the receiver and held on for dear life while Ducky spoke calmly to him. When Ducky told him to take another sip of tea, Tim was able to do so. A few more sips and he was starting to return to the present. Ducky stayed on the phone with him for several more minutes until he was convinced his young friend would be all right. Feeling the distance, he finally hung up and debated calling Jethro in Stillwater. He decided to wait a while as he knew Gibbs would want to call the young man and he thought Tim probably still needed some time.


	8. Chapter 8

Finding Home

Chapter Eight

After Ducky hung up, Tim sat in Pete's office for a few more minutes. He felt more like himself and had been able to tell Pete that. Now he was mostly processing the news and deciding what to do. Abruptly he realized he'd monopolized his new boss's time and office and started to rise, only to have Pete pull him back down into the chair.

"Hey, where are you going? Talk to me, Tim."

"I'm sorry, Pete, I've taken up your time, look everyone's gone, did you have to send them away? I'm sorry, it was just…a surprise. I…this has never happened to me before. I'm really good with rolling with things, bad news, surprises. I don't know why this hit me so hard."

Pete was dismayed at the younger man's apologies and apparent worry that he would think less of him as an agent. Once again he wondered how the hell Gibbs had treated this remarkable young man. "Tim, look at me. No, look at me, please. I'm not upset with you, I'm not worried about your reaction, it was very natural, that was a big shock to hear that the woman you thought was your stepmother murdered your family. I would have worried if you didn't have a strong reaction. Tim," he reached over and gently turned the man's head back in his direction, "we're human beings son and we're allowed to have feelings, emotions. And that was a whopper to come up and hit you twenty seven years after the fact, after the life you had to live. She's the one who abandoned you, right?" Tim nodded. "And Tim, I know this is a new way of life for you, but please don't ever feel the need to apologize to me or feel bad about taking up my time. Ever! Got that?"

Tim nodded again. "Yeah, I remember what you said in the car the other day, about coming to you."

"Good! Now finish your tea. How about you come home with me for the night? Not sure I want you to be alone."

Tim smiled, "I'll be ok, Pete, I need to call my sister and brother and we'll be on the phone for awhile. And…I kind of need to be alone tonight, get myself together. I'll be ok."

"I know you'll be ok, Tim but I hate to think of you alone."

Tim laughed a little. "Pete, you've been married so long you don't remember! I'm used to being alone, I'm fine being alone. I need to think, I need to …process this."

Looking up, Pete saw Matt come back into the office with his case bag with him. What had Carla said Tim called it, 'go' bag; he liked that better, less confusing.

"Tim, if you won't come home with me, how about you have some company tonight? Looks like Matt is here, he has his 'go' bag in his hands. He'd be quiet, do his own thing, but you wouldn't be all by yourself. Yeah, I know you'd be fine, but humor me, please?"

Tim looked up at Pete and the older man smiled as he saw acceptance but not resignation in Tim's eyes. That was good; he was ok with it, not agreeing just because his boss asked him to. Pete nodded at Matt through the glass and the young man ran up the stairs with his bag. Tim and his boss talked quietly for a few more minutes. Tim had finally warmed up so he got up to put the throw back on the sofa and stretched while he was up. Thanking Pete, he opened the door of his office and went back to his desk. He powered down and put everything back in order while Pete did the same. Matt came downstairs and looked at Pete, who nodded in appreciation and gathering his stuff, bid them goodnight after extracting a promise from each of them to call him if they needed anything.

Once Pete left, Matt turned to the kitchen. "Mind if I cook, Tim? I'm starving!"

Tim's chuckle came out a little rusty but it was still recognizable. "Yeah, that'd be good, Matt, thanks for staying. What are you going to cook?"

"Don't know, what do you feel like?"

"My digestive system is usually the first thing to go, so I'm going to say something like comfort food, no spices for me tonight."

"Hmm, how about bacon, eggs and toast then? Think you could handle breakfast for dinner?"

Tim gave a tired nod, "Yeah that sounds good. Thanks for cooking, sorry I'm not much company."

"Don't worry about it. Seemed like you got some bad news or something."

"It was news all right. I think I told Carla and Norm the other day – yesterday - but haven't mentioned it to you, not usually something I advertise, and certainly not the first few days I meet people! I told you about living on the streets and being abandoned by my stepmother, but not what came before."

While Matt cooked their meal, Tim told him about the murders, his own injuries and the resulting 27 year old cold case that had now been resolved. He told him a bit about his dad and his little brother Patrick.

Matt was confused. "I thought you have a little brother… Rob?"

"Yeah, my sister Sarah and I met him later and when I was old enough I adopted him, he lived with us in the shelter and homeless camp."

"Ok."

By this time, Tim was making toast and Matt was scrambling the eggs. Tim made himself another cup of tea while Matt had lemonade. They sat at the table and ate quietly. Finishing, Tim looked up, "I'll clean up and then I need to call Sarah and Rob. "

Matt nodded, "Let me know if you need anything. I have my tablet; I'm just going to watch some TV." He headed upstairs while Tim cleaned up the kitchen, putting their dishes in the dishwasher and noticing it was full enough, started it on a wash cycle. Then he made sure the front and back doors were locked, grabbed his stuff from his desk and headed upstairs. He took a hot shower which felt really good, put his sweats and favorite MIT shirt on and wandered out to sit on his bed with his laptop. He was going to call Sarah via Skype, hope she was in and then they could bring Rob in on the call. Sarah was home; she was through with her job and was starting to organize her belongings for the move to London in the next few weeks. They conferenced Robbie in and Tim told them the news. Both siblings were more concerned for their older brother than for themselves. Sarah had a few memories of Patrick, only vague ones of their stepmother and sadly, none of their father. Rob had never met any of them but throughout his life had heard countless stories about Patrick. They talked for nearly forty minutes, taking the opportunity to catch up with everything else after they'd talked about the murders and the close of the case. Tim felt better after they ended the call, he missed 'his kids' and knew they missed him too. He would be glad when they both were in London and he would only be four hours away rather than across the Atlantic.

While he was pondering that, he got a text from Ducky that he'd told Gibbs about Tim and Gibbs sent his love and support. Ducky explained Tim's former boss didn't have his cell with him, since it was NCIS issue and he was on suspension; Jackson didn't have Skype loaded on his computer yet, but they would be doing that tomorrow so not to be too surprised if Jethro called. Tim had been thinking about Gibbs keeping in touch with his former team scattered around and thought the older man could buy an inexpensive laptop and install Skype. He'd need to have high speed internet at his house but once he had everything, he could talk with any of them without worrying about cost. Or he could get a VOIP system such as Vonage. He'd still need an internet service but that might be less expensive and it used regular phones. Or at least cordless phones, Tim realized Gibbs' house phone was not cordless. He'd mention it to Ducky as he'd probably have better luck talking to Gibbs about it than Tim would.

He wished he could talk to Gibbs tonight. He could use his cell; he'd just pay the agency back for the call. He thought of calling Pete to get approval and then decided to use rule 18, better to ask forgiveness than to seek permission or something like that. He had Jackson's home phone number in his contacts and he pressed the button and then realized he would need to add the country code. Starting over, he was successful on the next try and soon heard the elderly man's voice. "Hello, this is Jack."

"Hi, Jackson, it's Tim McGee."

"Tim! How are you son? Enjoying your new job?"

"Yeah, I got to meet the Ambassador today."

"Wow, that's something. I heard you had some disturbing news today, I know Leroy's been wanting to talk with you. Oh, here he is. Tim, don't be a stranger, ok?"

"I won't Jack, promise."

"Tim? Are you all right? Ducky called, said Vance told you about Natalie."

"Yeah, he did. I'm ok now, I just…it really hit me, you know? Ducky called while I was still in Pete's office, helped me get through it, but I still…Boss, I just wanted to hear your voice tonight. Sounds silly, I know, but it's true."

"It's not silly, Tim, I'm so glad you called, I've been concerned, wished I could be there."

"Thanks, that's good to know. "

"I meant what I said the other day Tim, I love you, just like the others, I…well I just do, even if you've never felt it."

"I'm feeling it now, and I really needed that tonight, Boss."

"Aw, Tim, I'm glad we're doing this then, but are you on your cell? You won't get in trouble, will you? And have you reached Sarah and Rob?"

"Yes, I'm on my cell and no, I won't get in trouble, Boss, I'll pay for the call. I spoke with Sarah and Rob, we used a program on our laptops so we could talk and see each other. Sarah barely remembers our brother Patrick much less Dad or Natalie and Rob never met them; they were more worried about me. Boss, Ducky has the same program that we used on his laptop, maybe when you get home you guys could call me sometime and you can see how it works."

"I'd like that, Tim."

"You could use it to talk with Tony too and I guess Abby wherever she is."

"She finally sent Ducky a text. She's home in Louisiana, thinks she's going to look for a job down there."

"Ok, so you'll need to add her to the list too. And if Ziva ever surfaces, Boss, you could talk with her."

"That'd be good, Tim, as usual you've got it all figured out for me."

"Easy enough. There's two options but I'd rather you see and try them first rather than me telling you about them."

"Makes sense, but Tim you didn't call to talk about my long distance bill."

"No, but it's easier to talk about. Boss, did she ask about me or Sarah?"

"She thinks you're both dead, son and we didn't tell her anything different. The less she knows the better. "

"How…do I want to know?"

"Vance said he's going to send you a copy of the interrogation. Just…just don't be alone when you listen, ok? "

"Boss!"

"Tim, you, your father and brother were her first victims but not her last. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the last of your father's life insurance, she found a new employer, another combatant country. She's been sent to Gitmo."

"Yeah, Vance said." Tim paused, "This is like an old cold war spy novel, maybe by John le Carré …not my life!"

"Hasn't been your life for a lot of years, kiddo. It's in the past. I know you need to absorb it, process it, deal with it, but I hope you can let it go then, as much as possible."

"You're right, Patrick and the Commander have been dead a long time, that's not news to me, and I've been sure that she was involved at least."

Gibbs was still worried about him, "Tim, are you alone there tonight?"

"No Boss, I guess the others figured out something was wrong. Pete was trying to talk me into going home with him for the night and then Matt came back into the office with his go bag. Huh!"

"What?"

"I just realized Pete called Matt's bag his go bag and that's new, they've been calling it their case bag."

"That would confuse me - between your personal bag of stuff and your gear bag for cases!"

"Yeah, me too but I just figured I'd get used to it."

"So Matt came back in? He's there with you?"

"Yeah, he's staying tonight; he's down the hall in the other bedroom. He cooked dinner, we had breakfast for dinner; you know me and my stomach."

"Damn it, I wish I was there."

"You are, Boss! You're right here with me."

"All right Tim, if it works for you, I'm ok with it too."

"Boss, I knew they were dead, I knew someone killed them and I was pretty sure it was Natalie. Confirming that it was her was the only new piece of information, really. I don't know why it hit me so hard, it felt like…it felt like it just happened, like I just woke up in the hospital and that chaplain told me they were dead. And I remembered the sound of the other car hitting us – I haven't remembered that before. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, son, it does. It was still a shock, just hearing it, and it sounds like you maybe had a flashback. I think you've probably gotten used to thinking that even though the case was still open, it was all over and done with. And it wasn't. And as great as your life has been going in this last month or so, you're still dealing with a lot of new stuff and Ducky says all that can be stressful, even while you're loving it. He was afraid you'd have a tough time with this, we talked about it over the weekend."

"Boss, I'm kind of embarrassed, here I am the new guy falling apart and having this drama."

"Timothy, first of all, you're the least dramatic person I've ever met – I know your reaction was from your heart. And you didn't murder your family or injure yourself or any of the other things that happened. Yeah, maybe timing could have been better, but there is no good timing for news like this, you know that from our work. From what you've told me, Pete handled it fine with you and so have your co-workers. I think you'll be ok once you let yourself process it, let yourself feel what you need to feel and deal with it – like you're doing now." He paused and thought about what his own reaction would have been to something like this. "Tim? These people are already becoming your friends; they've been looking after you since you got there. Don't shut them out, ok?"

"Huh…ok. I guess if there's time tomorrow I could tell them what happened."

"Good man! I bet that will help you feel better too and don't forget Tim, that when you share memories of your dad and brother, that keeps them alive in the world. As long as one person still remembers about them, they're alive."

Tim tried to say something but the words got stuck in his throat. He sat back against the headboard and let the tears roll down his face. Across the Atlantic, Gibbs could hear enough to know Tim was crying and he just stayed with him, murmuring reassurances to him. When Tim could finally talk, he croaked a bit. "He was only a little boy, not even 8 years old yet. Why did she have to kill him, kill us? And my dad…Boss, I'm still angry with him, I've been angry since she put us on a bus to nowhere. He left us with her…he didn't even know her, he was so desperate to dump us on someone he hired her and then left and only came back once or twice a year. And he never bothered, even after my mother died, he apparently never bothered to set us up with a proper guardian. Why would he be so irresponsible? "

"Tim, we'll never know some of it and I think you still don't have all of what we can find out. We don't know who your father set up as guardian, but I'll ask Vance if we can keep digging, find that out. Natalie lied to the Navy- to everyone she talked to - told them all that you and Sarah died in the crash too. So if whoever your guardian was didn't check with the hospital, he or she would have believed that you all died."

"Oh God. But Boss, who…who would it have been? Do we have relatives? You know, I still have huge gaps in my memory from my head injuries - from getting thrown out of the passenger door."

"I know, son. Look, I'll call Vance and we'll figure out what to do, how's that?"

"You mean about finding out about our guardian and relatives? That'd be great, Boss, although…"

"It'd be more to deal with."

"Yeah."

"Well, we could find out and not tell you…"

Tim huffed a laugh. "Funny, Gibbs."

"Hey, it got a laugh out of you. I count that as a success. Now, this has got to be costing you a fortune, I hope you have another bestseller coming out very soon to pay for it."

"Another book will be out soon, don't know how well it will do but I take your point. When are you going home?"

"This afternoon, Tim, I want to talk with Vance as soon as possible and I want to call you from Ducky's laptop and whatever the other option is. "

"Boss…thanks. This means the world to me. "

"Don't thank me Tim; this is the kind of support I should have given you all along instead of leaving you to struggle on your own. The fact that you think Pete is giving you too much attention just plays up how much I let you down. Won't happen again! Now how about you try and get some sleep? Are you sitting on your bed, got your teeth brushed?"

"Yes Boss."

"Ok, climb under the covers, son and lay down." He heard rustling. "Now close your eyes, Tim and think of something happy. Think of your dinner Friday night or how beautiful Athens looked all lit up Saturday night." He stopped for a few seconds and heard Tim's breathing deepen. "Don't forget to hang up the phone Tim. Sleep well son, remember I love you, Jack loves you, Ducky loves you, Jimmy loves you, Sarah loves you, Rob loves…"

He heard a faint, "I love you all too." And then the phone clicked off.

Jethro hung the phone up on his end and turned around to find Jack sitting in his chair. "Sorry, Leroy, well, not really -I was worried too. You did great with him, was he falling asleep?"

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, Dad, I need to talk with Vance, there's more that I need to find out about Tim's family. If the case had been handled properly twenty seven years ago, part of it would have been to find out who the Commander had lined up to be guardian of his children. I want to do that now for Tim. Those kids had no family but each other, but there's got to be someone out there, a shipmate, CO, godfather, someone. Even if they're not around anymore, even if we can only find out who it was, that might help."

"Tim's angry with his father for not lining things up?"

"Yeah. Vance probably didn't want to get into all that with the man's Team Leader sitting there. There's support and then there's the need for privacy. DAMN it!"

Jackson patted his son's back, "You're working to make it right now, Leroy."

"Ten years too late, Dad. Why…what the hell have I been thinking all these years?"

"Leroy, if Tim hadn't left your team, would his family's case have been looked at?"

"Don't know, Dad. Morrow knew about it, Shepard knew about it, hell even Vance waited until now and I don't know why."

"So because Tim left and Vance wanted to prove a point with you and Tony, you were told to solve the case?"

"It was more than prove a point, Dad, Vance realized he was doing the same thing Morrow and Shepard had, sitting on the kid's family's murder and he wanted to do right by him, wanted us to do right by him, "just this once", that's what he said to me and DiNozzo. 'Just this once we're going to do the right thing for Agent McGee.'"

"So he included himself in that?" Jethro nodded.

"Son, that tells me he dropped the ball too. But more importantly, he took the first step to making things right – for you, for Tim, for himself, even for Tony. It sounds like he took special care with Tim's assignments. And what he did gave Tim time to breathe, gain a new perspective. You need to remember that, your boss did good here. And son, you are the one Tim's called…twice now. "

"Ah, he was worried about me last week, Dad."

"Yeah, worried…about a guy he was so angry with, so hurt by that he left your team. And today…he needed you, Leroy, and he trusted you enough still or maybe again, to reach out to you for your support." Jack looked at his son. "And you were there for him; I'll bet that young man felt like you rocked him to sleep."

"It's not enough, Dad, it'll never be enough; I let him down."

"Yeah, you did…in the past, which ended when he called you Saturday or maybe the day he left the team. But if you keep thinking that way, you're going to drive him away again. And you and DiNozzo will never fix things between you or with Tim."

"Dad, how can I fix things if I don't admit what I did?"

"You do have to admit them – to yourself and to Tim. I'm thinking you'll need to say it to Tony too and maybe Abby if she's ever ready to hear it. But then once it's said, you work out what happened and you all agree to put it behind you and you move on. You don't carry it around your neck like an albatross for the rest of your life. You work it out between you, you agree to move on and then you move on. That's what family's do, Leroy, isn't that what we've done?"

Jethro cocked his head at him, "More or less."

"Well, yeah, ok, I see your point, but I think we've reached a good place."

"Yeah, Dad, me too."

"You're beating yourself up over this and yeah, you needed to recognize it and admit it, but now work it out and get over it, don't wear it like a hair shirt."

"A what?"

"I think it's something the early Christian martyrs must have worn. Very uncomfortable and they wore it to be uncomfortable, supposed to prove…something, don't know what!"

Jethro laughed, "I'll ask Ducky."

"Fine but you get my meaning?"

"Yeah Dad, I do." He paused, "I came down here because I was afraid to stay home by myself; I thought I'd lost my family again. Everyone but you. Even Ducky was so pissed at me we couldn't stand to be around each other. Just being here Dad, that helped so much and then when Ducky showed up and Tim called…then I had hope again."

"And now it's time for you to go home, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. I may not be allowed to work but maybe Vance will let me take on a project."

"To find Tim's relatives?" Jethro nodded.

"Or at least who they were."

"Then I'll help you pack, I think the best thing you could do for that young man right now, short of flying to Greece, is to give him knowledge of his original family."

"Thought of going to Greece, but he's got a new job, new responsibilities, I don't need to distract him."

"Someday you'll go, son."

Jethro nodded, not wanting to think how far off that might be and pointed to the phone, "Ok if I use that to call Vance, make an appointment? There's a toll free number I can use."

Jack laughed, "Sure go ahead. That number's on the first page of my phone index."

His son smirked at him as he found the number and dialed.

* * *

Merriam-Webster online defines 'hair shirt' as:

1**:** a shirt made of rough animal hair worn next to the skin as a penance and 2**:** one that irritates like a hair shirt


	9. Chapter 9

Finding Home

Chapter Nine

Tim slept for several hours, only waking after a dream about Patrick. Remembering Gibbs' instructions and how good it had been to talk with him while he was falling into sleep, he thought of all the good things that had happened since he landed first in London and now in Greece. In a few minutes he drifted off again. Matt peeked in on him a couple of times, following orders from Carla, and found him peacefully asleep. Carla had been the one to ask Matt if he could stay over. When Eva had opened the door to deliver the hot tea, the benched agent caught a glimpse of the grief, shock and anger on Tim's face and worry on Pete's. Knowing if it was bad news Pete would want to take him home so he and Trina could keep an eye on him and having already figured out that Tim was both independent and stubborn, she acted quickly, sending Matt a quick IM to see if he could stay with Tim tonight. Matt had no problem with that, he was comfortable staying over, would be a nice commute in the morning and he wanted to help Tim if there was something wrong.

Both the junior agent and the probie were up fairly early Tuesday morning and met in the kitchen, the coffeemaker already gurgling as it brewed. Tim was feeling much better; the support from his teammates, his talk with Gibbs and the long restful sleep had smoothed away the shock. The grief was still there and fresh, but he'd been dealing with it for years now and knew the edge would soften eventually. The important thing was that he wasn't alone this time. When Matt asked him how he'd slept, Tim told him a little about his phone call with Gibbs and how he'd fallen asleep thinking about all the fun he'd had since he'd been here. Matt nodded, he liked that attitude; he'd have to remember it next time he got homesick or upset about anything.

Not surprisingly, both Pete and Carla were in early and found the two young men finishing their breakfast, just about ready to disappear upstairs to get ready for work. Tim stopped long enough to thank Pete for his support, told him he'd had a restful night and a little about his call with his former Team Leader. Pete seemed very surprised by that but he decided to just go with the flow, maybe things were being patched up, that would be really good for his soon-to-be Senior Field Agent. By the time Kim, Tea and Eva arrived, the others were at their desks, hard at work.

With Pete's approval, once everyone was in, Tim asked that they all gather at the table for a few minutes. He told them a much condensed version of the murders of his father and brother and of his own injuries and then segued into the news he'd received from the Director yesterday. There were wide eyes, a couple of barely controlled gasps and Eva closed her eyes in what Tim thought might be prayer. Tim also thanked Eva for her thoughtfulness in bringing him the hot sugared tea, telling her it was exactly what his friend and doctor would have ordered. She smiled at that, pleased that she'd been able to help.

Tim wasn't used to sharing like this but felt better after it was out there. When they returned to their desks, he picked up the cold case files and gestured to Matt. "Let's cull out the oldest of these, Matt, Carla, see what we can find on them." As they now had a fresh perspective and for Tim a rather painful one, at what closing a cold case could mean to a survivor, they hunkered down. This time, Tim had Matt tell him what he should do and Tim was pleased with his progress.

It was nearly 1000 when Pete called Tim and Carla into his office. "Just got a call, we have a petty officer who's failed to report back after a 5 day leave. He's posted to the Eisenhower, more than 48 hours UA. The Agent Afloat called for help, the guy had planned to visit relatives in Larissa."

Tim looked up from taking notes on his phone, "Do we have their information? And what's his post on the Eisenhower?"

"Wilson is working on getting the family's information from his buddies. And he's part of the security office, so yeah, Tim, he's at risk."

Tim looked at Carla, both frowning. "How long is the drive to Larissa?"

"A little less than 3 1/2 hours."

Tim thought for a minute. "Do we know how close these relatives are, aunts, uncles, grandparents…or fifteenth cousins?"

"Agent Afloat said cousins and that he knew them, they'd visited his family in the States."

"Ok, that's good. First thing, we put out a BOLO and while we're waiting for results and the Agent Afloat, we can do some backtracking on this guy's family, starting with his personnel file. If we can get the name of whoever originally had the Greek ancestry in his family, we can start from there. Might give us a leg up."

"I can get started on that, Tim."

Pete nodded, "That's good; at least it means we're doing something while we wait. Wilson seems like a good agent, but I don't know how long she's been Agent Afloat."

Tim pursed his lips, thinking. "What if we head out, drive up there, we should have some usable information in three hours. If he's at risk, the sooner we get to his planned location, the better."

"Good thinking. Tim, you're lead on this."

"Thanks Pete, I'd like to take Matt with me."

"Yeah, sure leave the old guy behind."

"Ahhhh…"

"Just kidding, Tim, I gave you the lead, yes of course, take Matt. But I get to go on the next case!"

Tim laughed, "Pete, it's your call! I just figured with us being short an agent it would better to leave the two of you here, one for the office and one for any more field calls."

Carla smiled, "Nice save, but really he's just yanking your chain, Tim, he's fine with you two going."

The trio talked logistics for a couple of minutes and then Carla and Tim went into the bullpen. Carla put out a BOLO and then started working on Petty Officer Kirk's file while Tim grabbed Matt. They headed upstairs to grab their go bags, just in case. Realizing Matt was already wearing his go bag clothes today and thinking they were about the same height and build, Tim stuck an extra set of jeans and shirt in his bag for Matt. Back downstairs, they grabbed their weapons and the map Eva handed them. They also grabbed extra phone chargers and thinking quickly, Tim ran back to the refrigerator and grabbed what was left of the food from Pete's party and some bottles of lemonade. Kim brought him an insulated bag and he threw the food and drinks into it. Not that they would starve but he'd learned the hard way to always have food and liquid on a road trip. Then they were on the road and Matt took Tim's phone from him to re-charge.

"I know you were on it for awhile last night."

Tim huffed. "On my old phone, I had the best battery I could find, but I didn't have time to look for that before I left for London. And I'm ashamed to say I never even thought of it there!"

"There's a shop in town that's got a good selection, we passed it the other night."

"Ok, it'll go on the list!"

Carla called within the hour to tell them she'd made progress, she had the names and was looking for an address in Larissa. She added that they had not yet heard from Agent Afloat Wilson. Tim thought about that, a new Agent Afloat, would the petty officer's buddies even want to be helpful? He remembered some of Tony's stories about being Afloat, how he had been feared and avoided; how difficult it had sometimes been to get any cooperation. He wondered if the delay might be because she didn't have all the information and she didn't have that because she was Agent Afloat, onboard law enforcement. He had Matt call Carla and get the Agent's cell phone number and then they pulled over and switched drivers so Tim could talk to the Agent on the Eisenhower. Wilson sounded impossibly young but Tim knew she wouldn't be there if she hadn't proved herself both to her Team Leader and Vance. He explained what he wanted, any piece of information she could get – first names, nicknames, place names, anything. As he suspected, she had a couple of nicknames and a place. Tim requested that next time they worked together that she not withhold information until she had everything, especially when the land based agents were her eyes and feet on the ground. She seemed a bit confused by that and Tim thought there was probably a Team Leader or SFA in her past who deserved a smack on the head for teaching absolutes and not how to think things through. He called Carla back and gave her the new information and the reason why the woman hadn't sent it to them. She was mad enough to make a note, to enter it on their reports. Tim left that for now, he'd worry about it later. However, as Matt had heard the whole thing and Tim saw this as a learning opportunity, he explained what had happened and what was so wrong with withholding information. She may have had the information hours ago and they could have been doing more advanced searching. Tim also wondered aloud how long she'd waited to call for help.

Pete later said they must have had the wind at their backs as they pulled into Larissa with just 3 hours on the road. By that time they had three addresses to look into – one of them found by using the nickname Tim had pried out of the Agent Afloat. Two were homes of the Petty Officer's cousins, from two different branches of Kirk's family and the third was a bar the buddies had mentioned. According to their GPS, the houses were on their way to the tavern and as it was only a few minutes past 1300, Tim made the decision to stop at the homes first. If the missing man wasn't there, he hoped someone would be and give them more information.

The first home was a sparsely landscaped house that would need painting soon, with children's toy stored neatly to the side of the door and curtains over the front window. They knocked and a young man in his late teens or early 20s' answered. Tim announced who they were and that they were looking for Petty Officer Kirk as they were concerned for his well being. The young man, whose name was Gregor, said that his cousin had stayed with them during the first part of his leave and then had moved to the other cousin's home. He mentioned he'd had the flu and had been homebound since Kirk left – in fact it was the reason Kirk had moved to the other home, he didn't want to catch the flu from Gregor. He hadn't seen Kirk since then but said he had been well and planning to return to his ship at the end of his leave. Tim asked him what date Gregor thought Kirk would be returning to his ship and Matt listened intently for that, he never would have thought of confirming the official report date with what the missing guy might have said. In this case it matched. Gregor added a couple of other places he knew his cousin had frequented, the two agents thanked the young man and gave him their cards in case he thought of anything else or heard from Kirk.

The second house, home of another cousin, was still on their way to the additional places mentioned, so they stuck with their plan, first calling in to report their findings, hoping for new information. At this point, Tim's gut was pinging, but not enough to tell him much more than there was a missing man to find.

Matt was curious. "Tim, can I ask you something?"

"Don't ever need to ask, Matt, but sure, ask away!"

"Everything seemed fine there. Do you think this guy's in trouble or sleeping off a bender?"

Tim thought about it for a minute. "Things can change quickly...for example, it just took one phone call last night to shake me up when everything had been fine. I'm concerned because from what Carla's found, this guy is on track to rise in the ranks, he's a respected member of the crew. But regardless of his record, we'd still be looking just as carefully. Now if you're asking what my gut is telling me, it's been quiet but now it's starting to fire off signals. To what, I have no idea yet. And that could mean we just don't know enough yet or yeah, he is sleeping off a bender. Although if he's sick or sleeping it off, I would hope someone would have the common sense to let the Navy know."

"How would they do that?"

"If they didn't have the number of his CO, there's a phone number on the back of his ID, or if nothing else, they could call NCIS or the embassy."

"Does this happen a lot?"

"I wouldn't say a lot, not that many that get all the way to NCIS, but it does happen, has probably happened all the way back to those ancient ships whose pictures we have on our walls."

"So we take it seriously."

"Yes, they're our responsibility and if it goes long enough or the security risk is high enough for us to be brought in, we investigate quickly and thoroughly. We find the missing person or find out what happened to him or her."

"How often is it something bad?"

"Couldn't tell you, Matt, I haven't really kept track. I keep track of a bunch of stuff but not that. If we have time someday and you're still interested, we can look at some of my former team's case files - that will give you more information." He paused, "Ah, turn right here, it should be…yep, second house on the left. Ok, I have a challenge for you…as we walk up to the house, observe everything you can and when we return to the car – unless we have Kirk or we're in a tearing hurry – you can tell me everything you've seen and we can discuss what conclusions, if any, we can make. Observation is an absolute must in this business – and it's a learning process that never stops, Matt, at least that's been so for me!"

This house was more upscale than the previous one, which in Tim's experience meant either more money or more debt and more debt frequently meant desperate people, especially in recent years. There was more landscaping in the front and the building was larger and newer. There were potted plants next to the front door and there were no children's toys here. As they got closer, Tim saw that the plants had not been watered, looked nearly dead and there was a spider web on one of them. One of the pots was cracked on the side, another one was chipped. His gut was stepping up its pinging. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a curtain twitch in the window facing them and heard footsteps inside. He casually flicked a non-existent piece of lint off Matt's upper arm, a preset warning. Motioning Matt to the side of the door opposite him, he drew his weapon, Matt following suit. Having also learned this the hard way, Tim took the time to send a quick text to NCIS letting them know where they were and what was happening. He and Carla had exchanged some favorite abbreviations and code words so it only took him a few seconds to type in and send. Then Tim nodded at Matt and the younger man reached out and knocked on the door. Tim listened carefully, finally hearing more footsteps and just as the door was pulled open, an ominous and all too familiar click.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for all your comments, reading, following and favoriting! While Tim's busy, we're dropping in to see Gibbs and Vance.

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Ten

Gibbs made good time driving home from Stillwater. When he reached DC, he decided to go on to his house and get cleaned up, put something on besides jeans before returning to the Navy Yard for his appointment with Vance. He collected his mail from his neighbor who was glad to see him in much better shape than when he'd left. Once inside the house, he stripped as he stepped into the bathroom and turned the hot water on. Feeling better after his shower, he found clean clothes and then wandered into the kitchen for coffee and a bite to eat. That done, he still had a little time and decided to check his phone messages. He was pleased to hear DiNozzo's voice on the recording and smiled, listening to it. His oldest had called after his appointment this morning and his tone sounded much more Tony. Frowning, he looked at his watch; he didn't have time to call him back now and with the time difference Tony would still be at work. He'd wait until after his meeting with Vance, he might have more to tell him anyway.

XXX

Vance looked at the clock as he hurried back into his office from yet another meeting on the Hill. Two months ago, he'd promised to help the new Secretary of the Navy in her first meetings with the oversight committees; he just hadn't planned on being down an entire MCRT at the same time. Carter's team was doing a good job but they were still making some adjustments. And now Gibbs wanted to meet. Leon's curiosity was strong enough to almost override the dread of meeting with his stubborn, fiery tempered and suspended lead agent. Since his call to tell Agent McGee about the successful closure of his family's cold case, Vance had been tied up with his boss and hadn't much of a chance to catch up with anything at the agency. He was alternately afraid that Gibbs had changed his mind and wanted to retire or that the man was coming to demand to be put back to work rather than serve out his suspension. It was only a little into the second week and Vance was determined it be served in full.

As he got settled in at his desk and looked through his messages, he saw one from his SAIC in Bremerton. Hoping that was not bad news, that DiNozzo hadn't delivered the final death knell to his own career, Vance decided to quickly return the call.

The Team Leader answered on the second ring, "Cazal."

"Adam, its Vance, returning your call, you on a case?"

"No, all clear, hang on."

Leon could hear footsteps and the closing of a door. "Was out in the bullpen. Just wanted to let you know, Director, that in the week he's been here, I've already seen signs of DiNozzo pulling his act together. His shrink reports that he is showing up for his appointments and working with him, doing his homework. He's ok here, no joking around or inappropriate comments. He's friendly but professional, been pretty quiet, heads down working."

"That's good to hear, Adam." Vance said, trying not to sound disbelieving.

"Do I hear a "but", Sir?"

"Hope not. If there's anyone else besides Gibbs who can straighten DiNozzo out, it's you. I am curious to see how this will work out in the long run. Keep me posted."

"Understood." The two men disconnected and Vance stood, thinking about taking this meeting at the conference table. Then he remembered this was the most stubborn man on the planet and he would likely need every edge, every advantage he had to not bend to Gibbs' request, whatever it might be.

After thinking along those lines, he was shocked when there was a knock on his door and after he called to enter, Gibbs walked in. He thought about being suspicious but it wasn't at all like Gibbs to curry favor. Bluster, yes, brown nosing, no. Then he looked at the older man. While his eyes were clear, he had lost weight and he looked…Vance finally settled for tired.

Gibbs stood in front of the director's desk. "Director, I've been talking with Tim and…"

"You WHAT? I gave you a direct order not to contact him, Gibbs!"

"Sir, he called me. Saturday, actually he called Ducky and asked to speak to me." Vance was still reeling in shock from being called Sir, but managed to bite out a one word reply: "Because?"

"He'd talked with Ducky the day before and Duck mentioned he was flying up to Stillwater – my dad's – to see me, that I'd been under the weather. And you saw him in London two days before that and told him about DiNozzo and Abby …and me. So he was worried, concerned."

"Ok, how did it go?" His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Gibbs blinking back moisture…oh boy. He rose from his desk and took the other man by his arm, led him to the conference table.

"Sit Gibbs. Just tell me when you're ready."

Gibbs inhaled deeply, held onto his breath and then exhaled slowly just as Ducky had showed him. He did this a few times until he finally felt he could talk without blubbering in front of his boss. He nodded his thanks for the glass of water that had appeared on the table in front of him. "It went good, really good. Leon…he called me, _Tim_ called _me_! He was so worried after hearing the news from you and talking with Ducky…he said he needed to hear my voice. I…" Gibbs had to stop again. Vance shook his head. "He's not feeling guilty is he, because so help me…"

The older man looked up, a ghost of a smile on his face, and shook his head. "No, not guilty, Ducky had already talked to him about that and he agreed. And he didn't sound like he felt guilty; there was no hesitancy in his voice. I know what Tim McGee feeling guilty sounds like and I didn't hear that at all."

"Good."

"We just talked, Leon, he let me say I was sorry before he told me he hadn't called to talk about our problems, that he just wanted to make sure I was ok and safe with Jack. And then we did talk a little bit about things. "

Gibbs went on to tell his boss what he and Tim had said to each other. Vance listened, marveling at the tender heart of Tim McGee and proud of the young man for reaching out and somewhere very deep inside him there was a tiny little voice cheering for the fact that Gibbs had opened up to the young man. He was further astounded when Gibbs told him of the call earlier today, about Tim's reaction to the closure of his cold case and how Gibbs had basically talked him to sleep. When the man finished, they sat there in silence for a bit. Vance finally asked if Gibbs wanted coffee and got a familiar smirk, much to his relief.

They sat with their coffees while Gibbs made his case to continue working on the McGee file. To allow him to work – without pay – to find who Tim and Sarah's guardian was supposed to have been and to see if he could locate any other family for them. He figured he could do the phone work from home, but he would need the case file again and maybe part of Tim's personnel file. He pointed out the obvious, that if the NIS agent originally on the case had known Tim and Sarah were alive, it would have been done then. Vance nodded, that was true. Mind made up, he stood and unlocked a drawer in his credenza, pulling out a file. Then he searched through the files on his side table and found the one he was looking for.

He handed both files to Gibbs. "Yes, you have my permission to do this but I don't want you to do it at home…hear me out Gibbs. You may need some advice from Legal or HR about approaching Tim's family; you may need help from the Cybercrime unit or even the lab. It'll be more efficient if you're here, at your old desk. And while I suppose I don't mind you working without pay, this is NCIS business and the agency will pay for your phone calls and any reasonable out of the office expenses you might incur. If there's long distance travel, we'll need to talk before you make any plans, but if you need to go to say… Annapolis or Norfolk to talk with someone, you can take an agency vehicle. You have the rest of this week to do this and yes, I'll count this as part of your suspension, otherwise, it's too complicated. I trust you to do this as quickly as possible, Gibbs and with as little interaction with any of the other agents as possible. While I applaud your efforts, I'm not in the least bit happy with the way you handled your team and I don't want people thinking I've allowed you to just waltz back into work. I'll put the word out that you're continuing work on McGee's cold case; that will help." Vance paused. "I will especially let the Cybercrimes unit know that otherwise they're liable to hang up on you when you call. For Agent McGee, they'd do anything, for you, not so much."

Gibbs nodded wearily. He'd hoped to do this at home but for once he conceded that he was in no position to argue. This was for Tim, that was the important thing and then he realized he'd said that out loud. Vance gave him a funny look and then nodded once, sharply. The two men stood as Vance told him he could start in the morning. Nodding his acceptance, Gibbs started to turn and then stopped when he saw the hand extended. Swallowing hard again, he shook Vance's hand, quietly thanked him and walked out the door.

Downstairs he paused, looked at his old bullpen, empty of bodies and of any sign it had ever been occupied. No, that wasn't right, if he stood here long enough he could see Stan, Viv, Tony, Kate, Tim, Ziva…all scattered to the winds or in Kate's case, dead. He was still standing, lost in his memories when one of Carter's team, his junior he thought, started to walk by him and stopped. "Agent Gibbs! Wow, didn't expect to see you here. I guess Tim's in London still, huh? Wonder how he's doing?"

Gibbs smiled softly, "He's finished with London, he did a great job. He's in Greece now and having a wonderful time, they had a party to welcome him, two parties actually."

"You know this, oh, Dr. Mallard must have told you."

"Tim called me over the weekend and earlier today. He's doing really well."

"He call…" Rick appeared and rolling his eyes in apology at his colleague, dragged his junior agent away.

Vance spoke from just behind Gibbs' shoulder and he might have jumped a bit. "That will help, but no more. Tim's business is his business." Gibbs nodded, "You're right, I shouldn't have said anything. I just wanted him to know how well he's doing." Vance patted him on the shoulder, "That's ok, Gibbs. Now go home and get some rest. You'll have a busy week."

Vance went back to his office and waited fifteen minutes, then asked Pamela to get Carter and O'Brien up here and to have Stacy Zomen, the Cybercrimes supervisor come up in 20 minutes.

The two Team Leaders appeared as requested and Vance gestured to them to sit down. "This won't take long; I just wanted to give you a heads up that Gibbs will be in the office for a few days, just this week, to do some follow up work on the McGee case. And yes, if you've heard a rumor about Agent McGee and Gibbs talking, they have been…McGee has called him twice now and as I understand it, they're starting to work things out. Which is a good thing and we are going to support Gibbs while he's here on this project. No bad behavior toward anyone; please put the word out. As much as we're all burying our personal feelings about this mess, there will be no taunting, not that Gibbs would pay any attention anyway. I expect everyone to be at their most professional behavior. Questions?"

O'Brien nodded, "How is he?"

"Tim is doing great, he was a smash hit in London – you'll see the program he headed up; it'll be implemented here in a month, I'm letting the European offices have it first since it will be easier for Tim and his former project team to troubleshoot if any bugs come up. And they haven't, this has been a first ever, bug free implementation. "

"And in Greece?"

"Either of you know Pete Russell?" They both nodded.

"He called me at the crack of dawn on Friday – here – to tell me he was already impressed – and McGee had been in the office less than 3 hours."

O'Brien nodded, "What about Jethro?"

Carter shook his head, "He looks a hell of a lot better than last time I saw him. I stopped off last week to drop off some mail that was on his desk and he looked horrible. Ducky drove up just as I was wondering if I should call him, so I left but I've been concerned."

Vance nodded. "I'm guessing the calls from Tim have helped immensely and I'm getting good reports from Bremerton too, so that will have helped."

Carter shook his head again, "All of us are responsible for this mess in some way, Leon. As Jethro's peers, we should have talked with him, tried to counsel him…years ago."

O'Brien nodded, "Maybe we should look at implementing something like that, peer to peer. "

Vance waved them away, "You figure it out, let me know if I need to know. I'm not against it, I'll say that." Deep in conversation, the two Team Leaders left the Director's Suite and walked downstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

Previously on 'NCIS: Athens'…er…Finding Home:

_Tim listened carefully, finally hearing more footsteps and just as the door was pulled open, an ominous click. _

And now:

Finding Home, Chapter Eleven

As the door slowly opened, Matt's jaw nearly locked open as he looked at the sight in front of him. An old woman in baggy clothes, hair hanging down and with a scarf around her head, stood against a walker. His instinct was to put the safety back on his weapon and holster it but he noticed that Tim was not doing anything of the kind. Instead, he showed his badge as he barked, "NCIS, where's Petty Officer Kirk?" There was a muffled noise from inside but the old woman coughed at the same time. Tim's gut was pinging wildly by now and he kept his weapon in hand. When the old woman turned her head toward a second noise from within, Tim saw an Adam's apple and quickly grabbing his handcuffs, snapped them on the "her" wrists. Matt moved the walker and then saw the heavy boots the person was wearing. Tim grabbed the man's scarf off his head to reveal a head of thick dark hair and made a light gag of the scarf to prevent any verbal warnings being called out.

As they dragged the man with them, clearing each room, Tim was relieved to see a Larissa Police car pull up and he was infinitely grateful he'd taken the few seconds to give Carla that sitrep. Both agents had their badges and ids out and up in the air when the officers came in, guns drawn. They escorted the prisoner to their car and one stayed with him while the other one helped clear the house. Two other dirtbags were found, one sound asleep in a back bedroom and the other guarding Petty Officer Kirk in another large room. It looked like a converted garage to Tim from the size of it and the fact that it was covered in sheetrock with oil stains on the concrete floor. The Petty Officer was unconscious but although Tim could see a fair amount of bruising, there was no blood. The LEOs had called for medical assistance for Kirk and when the ambulance came, Matt accompanied him to the hospital, thankful Tim had had him download a translation app onto his phone on Saturday. Tim stayed to work the scene, with the help of the local officers. After he'd gathered every shred of physical evidence and taken as many photos as possible, the officers led him to the hospital to meet up with Matt and their Petty Officer.

Kirk was still being treated, so Tim took the time to call the office and update Pete and Carla. Then he contacted the Larissa Police Chief, thanking him for the help of his department and made arrangements for them to maintain custody of the three suspects until they could be moved to Athens for trial. He also set up interrogations for tomorrow. He would get started while Pete drove up in the morning to help bring the evidence back. Their forensics was outsourced to a private lab in Athens, although the London office had a lab and could handle forensics for the other offices if necessary. Tim wondered about that as this seemed like it could be a matter of national security but that was probably Pete's decision, not his.

Eventually they were allowed in to see Kirk who had an IV with fluids to hydrate him. It looked like the young man's captors had intended to torture him but had been squeamish about it. He was bruised, dehydrated and exhausted, but had no broken or cracked ribs, nor any of the other trademark injuries of torture.

His first words were a question, "Where are my cousin and her daughter?" Tim had asked the police to find out who was supposed to be living in the house, now he asked the Petty Officer, whose first name was George, for his statement, including names and how long since he'd seen his cousin and her child.

He gave the details of his capture, it had been pretty clumsy. He'd arrived at Christina's and within a day Michael had shown up and seemed to be trying to befriend him. He hadn't thought much about it since Michael was his cousin's boyfriend and father of her child Elena. But on his second night there, they'd had a few drinks and George had started feeling odd. Tim thought he'd probably been slipped something in his drink and made a note to have his blood and urine tested. Remembering his sister's case, he made one further note, to search for vomit as the drug was probably gone from his system by now but could still show up in his vomit. George continued, when he'd woken up, he was in the converted garage, tied up and gagged. Michael's two 'buddies' came in to 'help him' give them answers. To what he wasn't entirely sure, the trio had not been clear about what they were looking for. He said they would mostly yell at him to 'tell them what he knew' and slap him around, punch him.

"The guy who was guarding me, that's her boyfriend, Michael. I don't know what he thought I knew or how he found out what I do. But I think the whole thing, to get information out of me and then sell it; I think that was his idea…from what I could understand. He's not Greek although I think the other guys are - they spoke the language more fluidly than he did. Christina, that's my cousin, she's a great person but she's a little slow sometimes. Her parents bought her this house when she had the baby, Elena. She's three now. I don't know where Michael took them, he's Elena's father, but please, find them!"

"Where are Christina's parents?"

"Right now they're in the States, visiting my parents. That was part of the reason I came here, to check up on Tina while her parents are away."

"What about your cousin Gregor?"

"Oh God, please tell me they're ok? "

"He is, he's just had the flu, but I don't' know about his parents, we'll send someone to double check."

"Thank you. Gregor is the son of my cousin Dion and his wife Sasha. Dion's mother is my mother's cousin. Christina's father is related to my father through my paternal grandmother."

"Oh, I see."

Kirk rolled his eyes, "If you do, maybe you can explain it to me."

Tim smiled, "Ok, I have it written down and I could plug it into a family tree but I'm just going with the flow here, really." He paused, "So would Christina or Michael know Gregor or his parents?"

"Christina has met them but as far as I know it's been years. I doubt very much if Michael has ever even heard of them."

"Ok, we'll check all of that." Tim paused, "Know what Michael's buddies' names are? The police chief says they're refusing to speak."

"Uh, the one with the long scraggly dark hair is Hector and the other one, the one with the goatee…that's Dennis."

"Ok, good, that's a place to start. Was there anyone else around?"

"Not that I know of, but I was unconscious at the first and then the last and off and on in between."

"Mmm." Tim thought he and Matt would be standing guard duty tonight. Just then he got a text from Pete with a change of plans. The doctor had come in to check on Kirk, so Tim left Matt in the room while he stepped out to call Pete.

"Hello, this is Russell."

"Pete, its Tim, what's the change in plan?"

"Have a question for you first. Do you know with a certainty that the 3 guys you busted are the only ones involved?"

"No, I don't. I have first names and photos of them so thought I'd get someone started on facial recognition."

"You sent the photos already?"

"Yes, to Kim. I remembered Carla had a doctor's appointment."

"Good man, Tim, you're doing a stellar job with this."

"Thanks Pete but we're nowhere near done yet and I'm afraid I'm not doing a great job of really mentoring Matt through this."

"That's ok, trust me, he's learning…you need to have him do what you need done. Ok, so here's the deal. I contacted Edwards and Hughes because this was a possible national security breach on foreign soil. They're happy with what you're doing, the way you're handling this but they also recognized that you and Matt have way too much for one SFA and a probie to handle and I know the PD has been great, but it's still our case and bottom line, we're responsible. Don't want to think about a local LEO starting to get upset because we have two or three of his countrymen in custody. Rather than me coming up tomorrow, Edwards and Hughes are on their way now. They will follow your lead; they're being extra bodies, not taking over the case. However, they would like to participate in the interrogations with you tomorrow."

"Participate?"

"Yes, not take over, participate with you." Tim was silent for a moment and Pete, having already learned this about his new agent, was quiet, waiting.

"You know, this is good, Pete. Matt and I will stand guard duty tonight but I don't know if he's done that before, I haven't had a chance to ask him." '

"He hasn't, not yet."

"Ok, then I'd like to split into two shifts, starting when I hang up and he can stand guard with me. That way I can train him the way I want, I mean the way we do it in NCIS and I'm just going to have to trust the CIA agents, uh, shoot, Jack Hughes and George Edwards, right?"

"Yeah, but George goes by Ted, he'll tell you that when they get in. They left a couple of hours ago, so another hour, they should be there."

"Ok, so we have the crime scene done – oh, evidence. Is that going to London or Athens?"

"Up to you."

"This is a national security breach although it was very clumsily executed, thank God! Still, I'd rather err on the side of caution; I'm going to say London."

"Ok, can you get it all in the car?"

"Yeah, think so or we can split it between the two cars and Matt and I will split up along with it…one NCIS agent per car. I've already downloaded all the photos. The crime scene is done, although I'm feeling we should search the house again, maybe there's an attic or a basement or even an outbuilding, where Christina and Elena might be. Evidence goes to London, local LEO's are looking for Christina and her…hang on, Pete I've got another call, the Chief. "

Putting Pete on hold, Tim answered the Chief's call and then linked the calls.

"Ok, Chief, both Agent Russell and I are on with you now. "

"Very well Agent McGee. We have found Christina and her daughter. There was a locked building out back and they were there. They have not been harmed; they had plenty of air, food and water and a bucket."

"That's wonderful news, Chief, thank you and your people for your diligence. Just as a precaution and to satisfy protocol, I'd like to have them brought to the hospital to be checked out. Their cousin has been very worried about them and he'll want to see them as soon as possible."

"If by protocol you mean paperwork, I understand Agent McGee and they are on their way to you now."

"Thanks again, that's great work. Chief, what would it take to start my interrogations at dawn tomorrow?"

"Ah, that is a good idea. Should they eat first?"

"No, I think not until after I see them. Water of course and whatever you feed them tonight, but no breakfast until after questioning them."

"That is not a problem Agent McGee; I will keep it to myself until say 30 minutes before you wish to see them?"

"That would be great; will they be in one cell?"

"Ah, you wish to leave each one asleep until you question them?"

"If possible, yes. Two additional agents are on their way to assist me, but I'll be doing most of the questioning."

"We have two cells next to each other and a third one separated and it is not visible from the other cells."

"And how many interrogation rooms?"

"Two."

"All right, Michael will be the first one, so he could be in the isolated cell please and then we'll get the other two after, in the two rooms."

"Very well, we will handle it that way." The Chief hung up and Tim resumed his conversation with Pete.

"All right, that's a huge relief. The LEOs are also checking on the other relatives, we just saw the one and George – Petty Officer Kirk – says the kid's parents should be there too. About the interrogations, I'm charging them with terrorism - kidnapping and torture - no attorneys, no rights."

"Yep, which is another reason I thought Ted and Jack would be helpful, couldn't find any record if you've handled one of those."

Tim chuckled, "Not directly but I've assisted."

"Got it. Any idea when Petty Officer Kirk will be released from the hospital?"

"I'd think tomorrow morning, he's on an IV drip for the dehydration and they want to keep an eye on him overnight."

"Ok, so is Kirk plus all the evidence going to fit in your car?"

"No problem, Pete, thanks to you we'll have two cars. Matt and I will split up and we'll split the evidence, so one of us is with our evidence in each car; one of the others can ride with me and we'll meet back at our office. "

"Good thinking! You're doing great with this, Tim."

"Pete, you and the others have been a huge help. We would have been hip deep in prisoners if you hadn't alerted the PD! And getting the other agents in on this, now I know what Vance said when he called them "helpful"!"

"Well, there's other ways but they're happy to get their hands dirty, they must get a little bored waiting for the cloak and dagger stuff. Oh, Tim by the way, we rescheduled your Tux appointment for tomorrow night since you're meeting with Ted and Jack tonight…well for the next 24 hours, actually."

"Ah, thanks Pete, forgot all about that!"

"Have you eaten anything?"

"Uh, don't know, oh yeah we ate in the car. We can grab something here tonight."

"Ok, one last thing and then I'll let you move on to your next call. Ted and Jack booked two rooms at the local hotel. You and Matt get one of those rooms and you need to get whatever sleep you can."

"With two shifts about 7-8 hours each, that's plenty of sleep, more than enough!"

"Ok, good. Kim will continue to work on the facial recognition and the known contacts. Let her know who's on what shift of guard duty and she'll text whoever is on with the results and then get started on tracking the contacts. The Eisenhower has been alerted; they'd already gone through their breach protocols but were happy to hear Petty Officer Kirk is alive and able to return to them shortly."

"Good!"

"Ok, I think that wraps it up for now, Timothy. A sitrep after the interrogations will be fine, unless there are problems during the night."

"Got it. Ok, thanks Pete, see you tomorrow! Oh, will you let London know…"

"Already sent Joel an e-mail while we were talking Tim, his answer was "glad to help and tell Tim we're all proud of him. I'll second that too, son, if I haven't made myself clear."

"You have and I appreciate it, Pete. " They finally disconnected the call and Tim headed back to Kirk's room. He found Matt outside the door. Tim looked in the room and saw George was asleep.

He nodded. "How are you doing, Matt?"

"I'm good, this has been pretty exciting!"

"Yeah, we did good today, saved a good guy and his family too."

"We know where they are?"

"Yeah, the Chief called while I was on the phone with Pete. His officers found the cousin and her little girl in an outbuilding. They had plenty of air, food and water but I'm going to still have them looked over. Which reminds me, did they take any blood from him?"

"Yeah, they did, I believe they said it was standard procedure in a kidnapping."

"Ok, good, the other thing I want to know, I hope, is if George vomited at all." There was a rusty laugh from the bed and Tim chided himself for waking up the patient. "Sorry man. Didn't mean to wake you up, have good news though."

"You found Chrstina and Elena?"

"Yes, the police did, in a building in the backyard. They're on their way here, so you'll see them in a few minutes."

Tim took a breath, "About the vomit, whatever drugs they gave you are very likely gone from your blood and urine by now. However, it would be in your vomit and once outside your digestive system, it stops any chemical reaction, so the drug would be present there."

George Kirk nodded, "That makes sense. I remember feeling sick to my stomach but I have no idea whether or not I actually ralphed."

Tim looked at Matt, "Think you can find your way back to Christina's house?" Matt nodded, excited to be doing something more than hanging out at the hospital, even if it was looking for vomit.

Tim motioned for him to join him just outside the room. He smiled, "You did great today, Matt, followed my lead at the front door; that was crucial. Came to the hospital with Kirk, another good move. You've taken samples at crime scenes before?"

Matt tilted his head, "Sort of, someone's always watched me or shown me what to look for."

Tim smiled, remembering Gibbs showing him drops of blood along a pathway. "Yeah, I remember those days, they won't last forever! So we're looking for a pile of smelly vomit. You can maybe grab a face mask here to take with you. If you haven't dealt with it before it's even more disgusting when it's not your own."

Matt laughed. "Ok, how much do I need?"

"As much as possible, so take the largest evidence jar we've got in the kit. The easiest thing to scoop it up with is a plastic spoon. I had to do it once with a tongue depressor, you know like a popsicle stick!"

"We have a plastic spoon from lunch."

"Hmm, no, needs to be a clean one."

"I'll get one from the cafeteria here before I go."

"That works."

"Ok, now the other thing is that Pete called in our friends from the embassy, Ted and Jack are on their way to help us, they'll be here within the hour. So what's the main thing you think we're going to do, the four of us?"

Matt stood in thought and then looked in at their Petty Officer. "Guard duty because we don't know if those three guys are the only ones."

Tim grinned, "Excellent! Now, we're going to do this in pairs because we don't know who what or how an attack would happen. You and I are going to do about 7 hours and then Ted and Jack will take over while we get some sleep in a hotel room that was reserved for us this afternoon." Tim took a breath. "Tomorrow morning as dawn breaks, we're going to have George discharged and then he's coming with us while we do the interrogations. There are three guys and maybe three of us interrogating – have you done any before?"

Matt shook his head. "No and I've only seen a couple. The cases we've worked on have been out of the country and the lead office handled the interrogations while we were on our way home."

"Well, shoot. All right, I'm going to work on shaking you free so you can observe at least one of the interrogations. Probably Michael's as he'll be first. Maybe we'll just bring George with us and he can sit in a conference room or the Chief's office or something. The other thing you need to know is that we're arresting these three – and anyone else we find – for terrorism, given Kirk's position and that they clearly wanted information from him. It all adds up to no rights, no attorneys and a free ride to Gitmo. Pete didn't say this, but from past experience I'm thinking our two friends will be able to arrange that ride pretty quickly."

"So they'll be taking them back to Athens?"

"They'll probably want to be a little more covert about it. Probably let prison transport handle it as soon as possible and then stuff them on a flight once they reach Athens. And we won't mention those three letters they work for."

Matt nodded, "Yeah, that's standard operating procedure with them."

"Ok, I think that covers everything for now. You get suited up with whatever you can get from here, get the vomit if there is any and put it in with our evidence. When the guys get here, we'll take a break, get something to eat. Then we have guard duty followed by sleep!"

Matt smiled and headed to the nurses' station to ask for a face mask. He was given two and some funny looks but he just thanked them and headed to the cafeteria to get the spoon. He was back in a couple of minutes, looking sheepishly at Tim who just grinned and handed him the car keys, telling him where their car was parked.

An hour later, he was back, having accomplished his mission, still looking a little green. Christina and Elena had arrived and Ted and Jack rolled in shortly after his return. George's other cousins had been found at home and told of his ordeal, now they arrived to visit, When they heard about Christina's home being a crime scene they offered a place to stay. Tim explained the house would probably be released in the next day or so, but would need to be cleaned. Dion and his wife Sasha promised George they would help Christina and not to worry. They asked if they could have breakfast with George in the morning after he was released and Tim, with a look at George, stepped in.

"George has to stay with us. However, I can ask the Chief of Police if he would mind you having breakfast with George in his conference room, would that work?" While Tim didn't know for certain there was a conference room, he'd never heard of a city police department that didn't have some sort of private room.

The visitors looked puzzled so Tim explained a little bit further. "The men that were holding George hostage and hurting him are in jail here and they will be questioned tomorrow. Because there are only a few of us, we all need to be there, so George will have to be too. He's not a prisoner, but it is my responsibility to ensure he reaches his ship." Now there were nods of understanding and some laughter about the freed man having to follow the agents who freed him.

Stepping out of the room, Tim called the Chief of Police and explained the situation. The Chief understood, as soon as he finished laughing that is. He approved of Tim's idea with the proviso the cousins bring their own food. He was happy to provide coffee or tea, but not a full breakfast. Returning to Kirk's room, Tim gave them the good news. Sasha shyly asked if he and the other agents could join them but Tim said he didn't think that would be possible with their schedule.

With the details set, Ted and Matt left the room with Tim. Ted took guard position outside the room while Jack remained inside and stood impassively, clearly not listening to the cousins' conversation. Tim and Matt headed out the door to a restaurant recommended by two of the nurses and Dion.


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for all your reviews, you're wonderful!

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Twelve

Tim sank down into the booth at the tiny restaurant recommended to them and sighed happily. Matt looked up, "Tired?"

"Nah, it's just the adrenaline rush wearing off. I'll have another one going by the time we get back, but for now it feels good to let down a little."

They looked at the menus and then put them down and asked for the daily special. That was a minced meat souvlaki which each of them devoured, along with the pasta and salad that came with it. After they'd eaten their fill, Tim thought back over the day and was satisfied with it.

"Ok Matt, do you remember your observations from that house?"

"It looked good, upscale, nicely landscaped, until you looked closer at it. The plants were dead or dying and there were weird curtains on the window."

"Yeah, that was a sheet tacked up. Most people don't have their curtains closed during the day. That was good; those were the same things I noticed."

Matt grinned, pleased with himself and then remembered he'd fallen for the old woman act while Tim had not. "What tipped you off that wasn't an old woman?"

Tim smirked, "Who says an old woman can't commit a crime…don't ever give anyone the benefit of the doubt just because they don't look the part. Some of the nastiest criminals in history have gotten away with things because they didn't look the part - Ted Bundy for example."

Matt nodded, "But you saw more."

"Yeah I did. For one thing, I heard footsteps but no thump from the walker until she was right at the door. Secondly she was too tall for that walker, if she had been legit, the height of that thing would have been adjusted. And her knuckles were white; she was nervous, really nervous. She deliberately coughed to block a sound. When there was a second sound, she turned her head and I saw the Adam's apple and that did it. I didn't care if she was a cross dresser or wearing a costume, she was not only masquerading, she was covering up something in the house and that meant trouble."

Matt nodded in understanding. "But you knew he was there though, you said it right away and loudly."

Tim nodded, "Gut, I knew as soon as I saw the curtain twitch."

"Not the dead plants?"

"Made me think twice about the place but it takes more than a few days to kill plants and for all I knew they could be in a drought and on water rationing." He looked at Matt. "You have excellent instincts. You thought the woman was ok but you followed me. That's a big deal, trusting your partner. Unless they're unnecessarily pointing a gun at someone's head with the safety off and you know it's not a bluff, or they're being stupid about doing something that will unnecessarily put one or both of you in danger, you follow your partner; you can argue technique or reasoning later. And if you can't trust your partner, you don't go out in the field with them. You tell your boss, even if your partner is your boss. It gets fixed or you move on. That's critical, Matt."

Matt looked at his friend – and superior – and wondered if that had happened to Tim. He knew he'd been part of the top MCRT of the agency but left to take this assignment. He mentally shrugged, it wasn't any of his business but the guy was a good agent and Carla was impressed and happy. And she was tough as nails, very difficult to impress and had not been happy at all with the two juniors he'd seen her with, the junior agent who left for a family emergency and never returned and the guy Julian from London. Tim was a strong agent from what he'd seen and heard, a good teacher and a really nice guy, interesting and a lot of fun. He couldn't imagine people not liking Tim, not treating him well.

They treated themselves to dessert in recognition of a job well done and enjoyed a cup of coffee each before heading back to the hospital. On the way back, Tim gave Matt some pointers about guard duty. Never accepting anything at face value, never accepting food or drink, checking each person's id every time, no matter if you'd seen them ten times that day. To illustrate his points, he gave some examples of guard duty gone wrong. By the time they parked the car, Matt was laughing at Tim's examples but he'd always remember the points that Tim made.

They relieved Ted and Jack and the two CIA agents headed back to the hotel for dinner and sleep. They would return at 0100 to relieve the two NCIS agents. Visiting hours were soon over and once Petty Officer Kirk's cousins departed, he settled into sleep. Matt started outside the door and Tim was proud of the way he checked the medical staff's ids against his list. One of the aides even offered to bring Matt a drink and was a little miffed when he turned it down. As she had been flirting with Matt, or trying to, since Tim had arrived, he made a note to check on her but wasn't overly concerned. Thanking the universe for smart phones, he ran a background check on the young woman and didn't find anything that screamed terrorist or anything but student working her way through college as a medical aide. Tim's brother, Rob had been doing the same job for the same reason and had talked of alleviating boredom by flirting.

Tim hated guard duty, it was worse than stakeouts. It was boring and stressful at the same time. You could never let your guard down; you had to be alert and observant every second. After three hours, he went out to check on Matt, each had a 5 minute rest break and then they traded places for the final three hours of their shift. Ted and Jack arrived on time to relieve them. Tim and Matt would be back at the hospital between 6 and 7 AM to spring George and they'd all head over to Police Headquarters.

The hotel wasn't far and the room was comfortable, not that either man cared much about anything but falling into bed and to sleep. Tim's phone alarm woke them at 0530 and they each grabbed a hot shower. Tim was amused to notice that Matt had evidently washed out a pair of boxers overnight as they were hanging from the towel rack. When Matt commented from the bathroom that they weren't quite dry, Tim chuckled and told him to use the hair dryer provided by the hotel. They'd covered the topic of extra clothes on the way to the hotel last night, or rather this morning and when they packed up and left the room that morning, Matt was wearing a pair of Tim's jeans, the cuffs rolled up once.

They headed back to the hospital where they found George and his medical people in the throes of being discharged. Tim and Jack headed to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast and then traded with Matt and Ted. When their Petty Officer was finally done with the paperwork, they escorted him to the NCIS agency vehicle and with Ted and Jack following in their car, drove to the Larissa Government building.

They signed in and slung their visitors' badges around their necks. Dion and Sasha were already there waiting. With the help of one of the sergeants who had been on the scene yesterday, the cousins were led to a conference room and set up there. The four US agents continued to the interrogation rooms.

As lead on the case, Tim had outlined everyone's participation in the interrogations. Tim would handle each man's interrogation, with Matt in the room with him while Jack and Ted observed. If there were additional questions to be asked, they would text Tim rather than physically interrupt him. If there was something pertinent to the CIA, they could do a follow up after Tim's session. Tim privately thought that by the third guy, Dennis, he wouldn't care if Jack or Ted did the interrogation, but he'd wait until they got to that point to make that determination.

XXX

Michael had been woken about 20 minutes before his interrogation started, but he had not gotten up from the cot and was not told it was time or where he was going until the guards came to get him. Because he had forcibly detained and restrained a U.S. citizen, tortured him and also forcibly detained a Greek citizen and a small child, he was not only handcuffed, his feet were shackled as he was escorted from his cold cell. He was still groggy and confused from a mostly sleepless night and not really paying attention to what was going on. He smelled coffee and food but was told he was not allowed to eat yet. He was offered a bottle of water which he declined.

He was taken into a small room and none too gently shoved into a chair at a table. There was a familiar guy facing him and behind him was a mirror. He wondered blearily why there was this big mirror in here. The guy introduced himself as Special Agent McGee from NCIS, what the hell was that? Navy what? Criminal, yikes, that sounded scary.

Oh, this was about Tina's cousin. Yeah, that hadn't gone too well. He'd overheard Tina's mother telling her that Cousin George was very smart and knew a whole bunch of stuff for his job. He thought he could make some easy money off the guy. All he needed to do was punch the guy a few times and he'd spill, right? That was the way it happened on TV and in the movies. He figured he needed help, so he told his two buddies Hector and Dennis about it and they came over to the house while Cousin George was there. Hector had some sort of drug he could slip into a drink, knock the guy out, but geesh, he was a big guy, hard to carry him! And then the jerk threw up on him and all over the floor, man that was disgusting. Tina didn't like him hitting Cousin George at all, she was yelling at him and Elena wouldn't stop crying so he waited until they were asleep and carried them out to the shed, locking them in. He left them sandwiches and water, they'd be ok, it wasn't hot or cold out or anything. Dennis tried punching the guy too but he still wouldn't tell them anything and Dennis hurt his hand punching him.

Man, all they needed was one little thing, they could sell it and they'd be set for life! But the guy was being mean and stubborn about telling them anything. They had him tied up pretty well, Hector knew about knots. When he got tired of the guy mouthing off and not saying anything useful, they found some duct tape and put it over his mouth. And then the guy talking now had shown up with some other guy. They'd tried to fake him out with the old lady routine but Hector had been nervous and taken the safety off his gun, the one he stole from his brother. This guy said he heard the click and that's how he knew. Man, he couldn't catch a break. The cops showed up and an ambulance and everything was ruined. And now this Special Agent guy, he was saying what? What the hell, he wasn't a terrorist! He was just out for money, he wasn't going to…oh man, the guy said he was going to Gitmo. He'd heard of that, it was where all those terrorist guys went, the ones who did all kinds of bad stuff … oh dude, he'd just wanted some money, he didn't want to go there. Although it would be warm and they'd feed him. Nah, he wasn't going to go, he'd miss his little girl too much.

Tim had to bite the inside of his mouth, not sure whether he was holding back laughter, disgust or both. Their suspect was a complete idiot and had no idea what he'd done. He'd talked easily enough, the problem had been to keep him focused and then to shut him up. And now he said that he didn't want to go to Gitmo. As if it was a choice, no I think I'll take door number two instead of Gitmo, thanks anyway. At least there was no one else involved; unless Hector or Dennis had other news to spill, it was just the three of them. He wondered whether either of them was as much of an idiot as Michael. For her sake, he hoped his daughter didn't take after him in any way shape or form.

When he got a text from Ted expressing their collective amusement at the guy's stupidity, Tim really had to hold back his laughter and then he remembered that through their persistence, they might have ended up doing serious harm to Petty Officer Kirk – or to Christina and Elena. They had kept him hostage and that was serious enough right there.

Overnight they'd received information that Michael had been born in the U.S. but had grown up on the move with his father. He'd had little schooling and showed no inclination for studying anything, didn't seem to care about anything. He'd been drifting through Greece as he had drifted through everywhere else, working odd jobs and suspected of committing petty crimes.

Hector and Dennis were both Greek citizens but since the case fell into NCIS jurisdiction, they'd remain in their custody, which meant they'd likely join Michael in Gitmo. Provided their interrogations didn't turn up anything to disprove their involvement.

Leaving Michael sitting in his chair wondering what was going to happen next, Tim and his observers moved onto the next interrogation. Michael would be moved back to his cell and Dennis moved in while Hector was interrogated in the second interrogation room.

Hector had been awake for awhile, castigating himself for getting involved with an idiot like Michael. He'd been a drinking buddy of sorts and while Hector thought the guy was funny enough, he also thought he was dumber than a box of rocks. And now he'd let the idiot talk him into ruining his life. While Hector hadn't won any awards for brilliance, he'd liked school well enough and had found a decent job after. That was over now, he knew it. He'd put the drug in the American sailor's drink, that was it, right there. Well and he had a weapon on him when the cops got there, he'd taken the safety off of it just as he was opening the front door in his old lady get up, also a stupid idea. He wondered how much time he'd have to serve.

Hector's interrogation was quick and Dennis' even quicker. Both men admitted their guilt in helping Michael and adamantly denied that anyone else was involved. Sentencing was not in Tim's purview but he wondered if Gitmo was necessary for any of these men. They were petty criminals who'd tried to skip several levels in the hierarchy of criminal behavior and failed miserably. He'd never run into criminals this stupid who were on their way to Gitmo.

Dion and Sasha were still with George when the agents left their prisoners behind and entered the conference room. All four of them sat to have a quick and very welcome cup of coffee and pastry before they headed out. Petty Officer Kirk was feeling fine and was eager to get back to his shipboard life.

After wrapping things up with the Chief, the four agents and Petty Officer George Kirk split into a pair and a threesome for the drive back to Athens. There the Petty Officer would board a flight to the port city the Eisenhower was due to visit in the next couple of days. The agents would continue on to Piraeus. Before they left, Tim called Pete and gave him a quick sitrep and their ETA for reaching the office. Then he climbed in the car with Ted and George while Matt rode with Jack and nearly half of the physical evidence they'd gathered.

Tim had intended to talk with Ted about various things but realized as soon as he put the car in gear that with George in the car, that was impossible. No way could they discuss possible reductions in sentencing, that would likely be up to JAG, or Tim's inherent distrust – now a wavering distrust – in the CIA in general and of the agency's employees in particular. Instead they talked to George about his life aboard ship and what countries he'd visited aboard the Eisenhower. Ted talked about life in Athens for awhile and Tim appreciated that, he still had a lot to learn, see and do. Ted asked if they were still meeting for drinks that evening and Tim shook his head. "Have my first appointment for my tux. Need to get that started or I'll be wearing jeans to my first embassy party."

George wanted to know about that and the other two filled him on. His father was a retired Navy officer and he'd been dragged to his fair share of parties, made to dress up and behave properly while growing up around the world. His father had served on the Enterprise at one point and everywhere they went, people seemed to get excited about the old ship, recently decommissioned. Tim asked what years he'd served but those years didn't coincide with his father's post on the proud old aircraft carrier, so he didn't mention his dad's post as XO. It wasn't until later when he was doing his reports that he realized George's father's name was James. So he would have been James Kirk, serving on the Enterprise. He thought his son was probably just as glad he hadn't said anything.

When they arrived at the international airport, Tim and Ted went in with George and with their badges and id, were allowed to escort him to the gate. They waited until his flight took off, shaking hands as he stood in line to board. Once he saw the plane lift off, Tim gave a relieved sigh and Ted patted him on the back. "C'mon Special Agent McGee, you're done with this part of the case, all that is left is the paperwork!" They both laughed at that, knowing it would take nearly as long to process that as they'd already spend on the road and in Larissa.

Ted added, "Besides, now you can tell me your problems with us."

Tim nodded, that was only fair. On the drive to Piraeus, Tim gave him basically the same rundown, this time with names that he'd given Pete and Carla the other day. Ted whistled, "I've met Kort and you're right, he's a slimy bastard. Heard of Roy Carver, there have been rumors about him for years now and Ray Cruz is no longer with the agency. Don't know where he is but I do know he was fired for killing that naval officer."

"That's good to know, thanks Ted."

"I can see now where you'd be unhappy about working with us."

Tim laughed, "That was before this case. You guys were a godsend!"

"Thanks, we're a lot less, how shall I say this, tethered to our agencies out here, we recognize we're all working for Uncle Sam and it's much easier to work together, no bureaucracy holding us back."

Tim nodded, "And now I understand that, sure worked in our favor these last two days!"

Ted laughed, "I'll bet it seems more like a week!"

"Well…yeah. I haven't been in the field for a month or so; after I left DC I was in London for a month working on a special project. This was a good case to ease me back in, quick to break, a rescue rather than a recovery and 3 dirtbags confessing."

Ted nodded, "You would have been fine if it had been worse, I can see you're a good agent, good with every aspect of the job." He chuckled, "And you were teaching your probie the whole time!"

"That was something I wanted to ask, your unofficial take on Matt."

"Kid has good instincts, he followed your lead the whole time, asked good questions, paid attention during the Interrogations, I think he took some notes."

"Good, thanks, that jives with my opinion, he's starting out on the right path to be a strong agent." Ted nodded in agreement as they pulled up to the NCIS office. His partner was waiting there for him; he and Matt had already taken their share of the evidence into the building and Jack was waiting in their car. They took off and Tim entered the office. He smiled at Tea as she welcomed him back and he thought how good it had all felt – the field work, finding Kirk alive, interrogating the suspects and now returning to the office - as he walked to his desk. He sat down, a big grin on his face.

* * *

Ok, so who can tell me what pop culture references were in this chapter. One's easy, the other one not so much, you'd have to be a real fan and trivia nut like me.


	13. Chapter 13

Kudos to stareagle for being the first one to review with the pop culture references: both were from Star Trek, TOS and the 2009 movie: James Kirk and George Kirk. In the movies and the show, George Kirk was Jim Kirk's father. On the show, George Kirk was also Jim Kirk's recently deceased brother, although he went by the nickname Sam. Thanks for all the reviews and comments! Ok, back to NCIS: Tim -

* * *

Finding Home

Chapter Thirteen

The rest of Tim's first week flew by. Case reports and related paperwork consumed him for most of Thursday and Friday. He did his reports and then reviewed Matt's, helping him clarify a few things. He took the time to pull up his emergency medical forms and changed his emergency contacts and medical proxies to Pete and Kim. He submitted the updated forms after printing out copies and putting his into his portfolio, one that Kate had given him as a welcome to the team all those years ago. He finally met with the tailor and got his tux ordered. Thursday morning he met Matt for an early morning run. Tim had suddenly realized on the way back from Larissa that he had pretty much dropped his exercise routine since he left London where he'd run with James nearly every morning. Not keeping in shape was a very bad idea for a field agent! Now that he knew where to run, he would add it to his morning routine and he made a note to look into joining a gym or taking another martial arts class or something to add to his physical well being. He liked the idea of martial arts; it would improve his body as well as give him another weapon in his arsenal.

On Thursday he received the short letter Gibbs had told him he'd sent. After reading it and reading between the lines, he had more of an idea of how badly things could have gone and he was grateful for following his instincts and calling to check up on his former boss. Friday had him listening in as Pete participated in the European SAIC conference call. At the beginning of the call, Pete introduced him and he said hello to the other three SAICs. To his amazement he found that Stan Burley was now the Rota SAIC. That brought a couple of comments about Gibbs' former agents doing well and then Pete segued into a brief summary of the Kirk case. Joel immediately called out congratulations to Tim and when Pete nudged him, Tim responded, making sure the others understood it had been a joint effort with NCIS, the Larissa PD and the two other agents. He wanted to laugh at his reaction when he wondered what the fuss was all about. The case, while serious, was far easier to work than many cases assigned to Gibbs' team. On the other hand, lack of recognition and respect had been factors in his leaving that same team, so he'd better appreciate what he was being given.

Although Carla was busy doing office work, Tim thought she seemed increasingly uncomfortable and tired. He mentioned it to Pete who nodded. "Norm thinks she's at best got another week before she's put on bed rest, so if there's anything still left undone, you two better hop to it." Tim agreed but when he and Carla met, they found they had all the generalities covered and that without case specifics, there really wasn't any more to discuss. They'd been over many past cases and Tim had had lots of questions, but he knew there would always be something that could come up. Carla insisted she would be available by phone once she was away from the office and Tim agreed as he wouldn't know what questions he might have until situations actually happened. He suspected he'd be able to figure things out for himself or establish his own methods, but he didn't mention that to Carla. He thought she might be having a hard time relinquishing her job after all these years.

Friday afternoon, Trina arrived with a cake, Norm with a camera and the office commenced with a not-so-much-a- surprise baby shower. Matt had mentioned the plan to Tim the previous Saturday when they were looking around in the Plaka. He'd immediately dragged Matt to a children's clothing store they'd walked past earlier and purchased baby blankets, several decorated with Winnie the Pooh characters and a few other things the woman at the store recommended. Kim had reminded them of the shower the previous evening, so when Tim saw Trina's car pull into the side lot after lunch on Friday, he popped upstairs to bring his gifts down, all nicely wrapped by the friendly storekeeper. He set them on the table with the other packages, grateful to Matt for mentioning the party to him. The phones were silent as Carla and Norm opened the gifts, the ladies oohing and ahhing. Tim had relieved Norm of the camera and took photos of the event, glad to have something to do. Pete was the only relaxed male in the room, having been through this a few times for his own kids.

Matt, Tim, Tea and her boyfriend Adan had dinner together Friday night and they talked about going clubbing in Athens on some future weekend. Tim had had his first fitting before they met for dinner so he jokingly mentioned going somewhere besides the embassy in his tux. Adan caught on and started calling him 'Mr. Bond' and Tim suddenly wondered how Tony was doing. He would be Skyping with Ducky after he got home that evening and decided he'd ask. After Tea and Adan left for home, Matt asked Tim to have a drink with him and they walked to the Flying Pig. Tim had noticed that Matt seemed a little uneasy and hoped the younger man would feel comfortable enough to talk with him about whatever was bothering him. They sat nursing their beers and Tim was about to say something he hoped would put Matt at ease when the younger man suddenly blurted, "Tim, I'm gay."

"Matt, I'm honored that you've told me, I noticed you were uneasy tonight and I was getting a bit concerned. Has anyone been giving you trouble?"

"No, I haven't had any trouble. It's kind of new to me, I wasn't sure until last summer. But I thought you might be wondering why I don't have dates or anything."

Tim smiled at his friend and colleague, "Matt, I think it's really important that you be comfortable in your own skin, that's something I'm still trying to learn and I'm happy for you. To tell you the truth, I've been a little relieved to have another single guy around. I have a horrible track record with dating and I'm hoping things will change here. As far as your sexual orientation, as I said, I'm honored that you trust me with the information but I don't judge anyone on their love life or lifestyle." He laughed, "On my old team, my boss had been married four times: widowed once, divorced three times and was a sucker for every pretty redhead who crossed his path. The SFA had a revolving door, rarely dated the same woman for more than 2 or 3 dates and once nearly put himself into Witness Protection when a one night stand updated her status on Facebook to 'in a committed relationship'. Our other teammate was a former assassin and apparently really only felt comfortable with men with similar pasts. Worked with a forensic tech who nearly did serial dating as well as the SFA and oh by the way, she sleeps in a coffin. As for me, my girlfriends and dates have been professional murderers, an ambassador's daughter who played me for personal political reasons, thieves, liars, guys masquerading online as girls, or just plain crazy. The last girl I dated was engaged to someone else and finally got around to telling me when our co-workers put the pressure on her. I'm still not sure she would have mentioned it if people hadn't been upset with her. So "gay" is not a thing to me as long as you're happy. Living through a date, now that's a thing."

By this time, Matt was laughing so hard he was holding his sides. When he could finally speak, he managed to gasp, "Please, tell me!"

"Uh, maybe sometime but not tonight, takes too long."

As Matt sat, catching his breath, he looked at Tim, thinking and then he realized what he knew. Eyes twinkling, he leaned in and said quietly, "You should write a book, Thom."

Tim looked at him and grinned. "Busted, am I?"

Matt nodded, "Love every single one of those, helped me decide to be a federal agent."

Tim's eyes widened, that was a first! "Look, its fine you knowing, I've been thinking about telling you anyway and I think Kim's fiancé figured it out, but I'd really like to keep it quiet."

With a grin, Matt nodded. As they walked back to the office where Matt had left his car, he asked, "So is it ok if I tell my dad? He loves your books! And will there be more…OH, I just got it…your boss was Gibbs…its Tibbs in the books…you're McGregor, right?"

Tim nodded; glad no one else was in the immediate vicinity. "Yeah, there will be a couple more Tibbs."

"Are you going to have a new team, write about us?"

Tim shook his head, "No, I won't base any more characters on people I work with, that was a real problem. But I'll probably write more books."

"Awesome!"

"And Matt, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. I may not have experienced the exact situation but I've been subjected to bigotry, bullying and discrimination in my life – for being homeless, for being smart, for being a geek, so I hope I would be of some help. And I know you'll have successes to talk about, not failures!"

Matt shyly thanked him. Later Tim wondered if Matt realized he hadn't answered his question about his dad. He decided at that moment to change his penname and refuse to have his photo on the jackets of his books. He'd been naïve with the Deep Six books, now he understood the impossibility of anonymity when his photo was out there.

After reaching home, Tim got comfortable on his bed and checking his watch, booted up his laptop. He was a couple of minutes early and so sat playing Tetris online until Ducky called. When he called, Tim was surprised to see that Ducky seemed to be in his kitchen rather than at work and he could see a fabric covered arm next to him, so he wasn't alone. Gibbs or Jimmy? No, it wouldn't be Jimmy, unless NCIS HQ had closed for the day. Must be Gibbs!

"Hi Ducky, glad to see you and is that Gibbs with you? "

"Yes my boy, he said you suggested he sit in on one of our Skype sessions to see how they work." Gibbs leaned in and waved to him with a little smile. Tim waved back.

"That's great! How are you two and why aren't you at work, Ducky?"

"Can't an old man decide to take the odd day off, Timothy?" Ducky paused and then smiled, "The truth is I've decided to cut back on my hours a bit. Jimmy can handle things on his own two or three days a month; it will be good for him."

"Wow, that's…good for you!"

"Yes, I think it will be. Now we want to hear how your week's gone." Tim told them about the case, taking their probie on a road trip, having the cooperation of the Larissa PD and two helpful CIA agents. He had to admit he enjoyed the reaction to that little tidbit; Ducky leaned back in surprise while Gibbs leaned in with eyes as wide as he'd ever seen them. "Tim, did you just say you had two CIA agents with you on the case?"

"Yep. My lead and they had no problems with that. I'm telling you, we needed the help. Doing everything we needed to do, including 24/7 guard duty at the hospital for our Petty Officer was going to be very rough with just the two of us and Matt had never stood guard duty before. We split into two shifts and made it through. We thought we'd split for the interrogations but our lead dirtbag spilled so fast I did all three." Tim laughed at the memory of the three suspects spilling their guts. "We were more than three hours from Athens, Pete would have driven up but that would have left no field agents at the office and this worked out great. On the way home, Matt rode with one of them and took half our evidence and the other one rode with me and our petty officer and the rest of the evidence. We would have had to rent another car or a trailer to haul it all back ourselves."

Gibbs frowned, "Who does your forensics?"

"Local lab or we send to London. This was an attempted breach of national security so I sent it to London."

Gibbs smiled at him, "You did good, Tim, great job, brought everyone home in one piece and got the bad guys."

"Thanks! The PO called me from his ship once he was back aboard, they threw him a Welcome Home party!"

"Ah, so not an ordinary everyday Petty Officer!"

"No, I expect he'll be at least a Captain someday." Tim was getting warm and fuzzy feelings from the looks of pride on both faces in front of him.

"How'd Matt do…he's your probie, right?"

"Yes he is and he did great. There was a moment when we were outside a house and I heard a click as the door was opened. He didn't hear it and when an old lady opened the door, he twitched his arm as if he was going to put his weapon down. But he didn't, he followed my lead, I'm very proud of him."

"And the old lady?"

"Had an Adam's apple and is now sitting in the Larissa jail, probably waiting for transportation to Gitmo."

"Oh my, that was an exciting case!"

"It had its moments but these guys had no clue what they were doing, thank god! Oh and hey Boss, I sat in on the monthly SAIC call today and Stan Burley's the SAIC in Rota! That's pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, that is, Tim, I hadn't heard that. I know he told Tony and Ziva he was coming ashore and getting married; that's great that he got Rota. Tell him hello for me? "

"Sure Boss."

"Timothy, it'll just be me next week as Jethro has talked Tobias into taking time off and they're going fishing."

"Fishing, for a whole week? You guys camping?"

"No, Tobias agreed to go only on the condition that we stay in a cabin."

"Good!"

Ducky shook his head, "I imagine you're not all that enthusiastic about camping, dear boy."

"Not after living in a tent for 9 years."

Gibbs nodded, "I made a fuss as I was expected to, but I really don't mind staying in a cabin, especially this time of year. So Tim, I talked with DiNozzo the other day, he's getting some counseling and um…I'm doing that too."

Tim was so surprised he sat with his mouth open. Then he swallowed and managed to speak again. "That's good…for both of you, I'm glad to hear it. I um finally got your letter. Glad we've talked and I didn't get that without any warning, would have scared the crap out of me."

"That's my fault Timothy; I was very angry with Jethro that day and wouldn't let him write what he wanted to." Tim looked at the doctor in surprise and then looked over at Gibbs who had the grace to look embarrassed. "So why don't you write it now?"

"That'd be ok?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good next step for us to take."

"All right, Tim, I'll do that." Gibbs paused, "I know the other option for talking is just a phone but I really like being able to see you. I miss you Tim and it's so great to see you. Right here. You look good, no circles under your eyes, you have a little tan going and you just look happier."

"I am happier, Gibbs. Everyone here respects each other and it shows. It's a friendly atmosphere but there's no goofing around, no pranks or any crap like that, everyone gets their work done. I'm sure there will be bad moments but overall I really like this group of people. And with no commute, it's easy to get enough sleep. If you'd seen me Tuesday or Wednesday you would have recognized the old me though, after the case. Right now we're apparently having a quiet spell here and our office is off rotation with the other European offices for another week. I forgot to tell you, Pete took me to the U.S. Embassy to introduce me to the Ambassador on Monday, presented my credentials. And Madam Ambassador had my work permit from the Greek government, so now I can carry my weapons legally; I can look for an apartment and start working toward my driver's license."

Gibbs looked puzzled while Ducky nodded, "You have an international one now?" "

"Yeah, applied for it before I left and received it in London but it's only good for 6 months; I'll need to get going on the other one."

"Is it difficult to do?"

"Sounds like a lot of red tape, I'm sure the others will have some tips for me to get through it, at least I hope they will."

"How long can you stay in the room upstairs?"

"I guess until someone else transfers in and needs it but we're not allowed to bring guests in so that's a pretty strong incentive." The three men smirked at each other across the internet.

"Hope you can get someplace closer to work than Silver Spring was!"

"Yeah me too, Boss. The fiancé of our office manager -the guy on the other side of the net from me in that volleyball photo - is a real estate agent and helped Matt, so I figure when I know the area better he can help me."

"Timothy, do you think you'll rent or buy?"

"Don't know Ducky. I'd maybe buy a condo but I don't see me having time to handle the maintenance on a house. Not what I want to do with my weekends, not now, anyway." Both of the older men laughed and agreed with that. Tim fought off a yawn and hoped they hadn't noticed, but his former boss had. "You've had a busy week, Tim, better get some rest."

"I will pretty soon Boss. Before we hang up, Ducky could you ask Phil York in Cybercrimes to recommend the best basic laptop for Gibbs? And Boss, you need to get internet capability at your place, maybe find out what your neighbors have and if they like it. That might take a week or so to schedule so you should decide who and set up the appointment before you leave with Tobias. And take someone with you, maybe Emily or Jimmy if he has time, to buy your laptop. Once you have your laptop and the internet connection, someone can download Skype for you - get your account set up. I know it sounds like a lot but it's really just three things – get internet, buy a laptop, download Skype. Oh and let DiNozzo know, he can get Skype and you can see him too."

Gibbs had taken notes while Tim talked and now he nodded. "That would be good and maybe someday you two will talk." Tim just gave a little nod, he really didn't want to talk or even think about that yet. Gibbs, realizing he'd pushed a little too hard opened his mouth but Tim beat him to it. "I'm not there yet. You and I still have a lot of things to fix between us." Tim pointed between himself and the screen, "I know this helps a lot, but with everything I have going on right now – new country, new team, new position, I can't afford to get emotionally bogged down in fixing things with both you and DiNozzo."

Gibbs had to swallow a bit of hurt but overall he was proud of Tim for putting it out there like that, standing up to him, reminding him they still had stuff between them and telling him to back off as far as DiNozzo. He nodded, "Ok Tim, I certainly respect that." Tim smiled unexpectedly and nodded at him and Gibbs felt ok again. Ducky had been watching carefully and decided to move the conversation along.

"So what will you be doing this weekend, lad?"

Tim laughed, "Well, I had dinner with Matt, Tea and her boyfriend Adan this evening. Sunday I'm meeting Eva and her husband Caleb in Athens to go to the ancient agora or gathering place and some of the lesser known sites. He's a grad student here and knows all kinds of interesting things. Tomorrow Matt and I are going to the firing range after we have our morning run. Then we'll go into the city and he'll show me where he shops for clothes. I want to buy local and I'm not sure where to go. I'm sure Pete or Carla's husband Norm would help but…they're just enough older that we probably wouldn't shop in the same stores. When we go back on rotation, we'll be on call at least one weekend a month, so I want to get as much done now as I can." He paused, his eyes twinkling, "Did I tell you I'm having a tux made? Have embassy parties to go to now, first one is in a month."

Gibbs grinned, "Timothy McGee, man of the world! Hey, has anyone there outed you as Gemcity?"

Tim nodded, "Yeah, Matt did this evening and I think Evander, the real estate agent, figured it out too. I'm going to start using another penname – no more anagrams - and no more photos!"

"You're done with the Deep Six books then?" Tim explained his plan and the other two nodded, glad he was still planning to write.

Before they disconnected, Gibbs cleared his throat and looked at the man he considered his youngest son although he was sadly certain Tim had no idea of that. Not yet and it was too soon to tell him now, Ducky had said so.

"Tim, Vance will be contacting you. I went back in on your case as I promised and found who your guardian should have been. There's more information and Vance wants to tell you himself, but I just wanted to let you know that your dad did make arrangements for you kids and with some good people. His big mistake was Natalie but he never changed the guardianship. It was her lies and other people's failure to double check that led to your abandonment."

Tim looked off to the side, fighting tears, wondering why it was so damn hard to hear this after all these years. Then he remembered Gibbs talking him to sleep Monday night and realized he wasn't alone, that Gibbs had waited to tell him in person so he and Ducky could be there for him. He felt the same warmth he'd felt Monday night and wished he could capture it, keep it with him. Looking back at the two men he cared about so much, he nodded. "Thank you. That's good to know, Boss, and I'm glad I had the chance to hear it from you, that means a lot. I feel like you've given me back my dad."

Ducky beamed; he was proud of both of them. They chatted for a few more minutes before finally ending the call. Tim set his laptop aside and crawled into bed, thinking of his father and how badly he would have felt about what had happened to his kids and how proud he would be now. For the first time since he'd woken alone in a hospital 26 years ago, Tim McGee had no anger toward his father and he drifted off to sleep remembering a fishing trip with his dad and Patrick.


	14. Chapter 14

Finding Home

Chapter Fourteen

Pete called him early Saturday morning to let him know that Carla's doctor had put her on bed rest after another scare Friday evening. Tim was already functioning as the Senior Field Agent and now Pete told him that his promotion was effective immediately. Typically, Tim's first reaction was worry about Carla but Pete reminded him that she and the babies were in good hands with the local medical community.

He paused and then asked Tim if he had any questions. "Yeah Pete, I do. With our search for a junior agent underway, I had an idea about it."

Tim had quietly started looking for a junior agent after their return from Larissa. He'd first talked with Carla about protocol, whether he could freely contact other team leaders asking for recommendations. She'd just grinned and told him he was the Senior Field Agent which meant he was Pete's second in command. Once he'd been told that, he'd fired off a number of e-mails asking for recommendations for junior agents, blind copying Pete. He'd love to promote Matt but barring extraordinary circumstances, four months was in no way feasible for a probationary period.

Now he listened for Pete's response. "What's your idea?"

"Ok, Matt's only been on the job for four months so there's no way on earth he could make the jump right now. But he will be ready in a year, less than a year. Vance told me that three years overseas is a minimum assignment, he said that's the length of time the agency needs to recoup the expenses – I guess the investment really. But are exceptions ever made? If we have a junior agent, we're likely to lose Matt when he hits his year and he's good, Pete, really good, he's got a lot of potential and I'd rather not lose him."

"I don't disagree with that, Tim, keep going."

"Is it possible to have a junior agent TAD'd here for 8-12 months? Vance could temporarily transfer, or whatever he wants to call it, someone who can settle in and get some good solid experience but who moves on in September or October?"

"In your scenario, when this person – the TAD - moves on, where would they go?"

"Perhaps she or he could go to one of the other European offices and then the agency wouldn't be out as much money, it would be a less expensive move."

"So we would start this person off while Matt finishes his probationary year. Then TAD moves on and Matt is promoted to junior. And TAD moves on to London, Marseilles or Rota. She or he will probably have met those teams already and worked with them, so it's an easier transition."

"Pete, a floating junior! One for the European offices, but there could also be one in the US, maybe a few."

"Each one does a one year float, ha, we'd better call it a TAD or it will be hopelessly mixed up with the Agent Afloat position. So each junior does a year TAD or say a minimum 8 months somewhere and then is permanently placed onto a team."

"Maybe it's not every junior, maybe it's only volunteers. Not everyone likes impermanence or wants to travel a lot, let alone live outside the US."

"We'd have a subgroup of junior agents then. I like this, Tim, it could be very handy and it will give our juniors more varied experience." Pete stopped to think for a moment. "Let's start with your proposal for our office and if Vance likes it, you can expand upon it."

"Me? Wouldn't that come from you?"

"Nah, it's your idea and I like to give credit where it's due, Timothy."

Tim chuckled, "I'm learning that, Pete, thanks!"

"So how will you go about finding our TAD?"

"The same way I'd go about it if it were a permanent transfer. Put feelers out to the Team Leads - which we've already started, check out qualifications, ask at FLETC, ask everyone we know - and see who Vance has in mind. I have a feeling we'll get more possibilities amongst former Navy and Marine personnel or those who were raised in the military. They're used to travel and probably used to the concept of TAD."

"That sounds good. I'll talk to Roger, Stan and Joel about it too… you know our one week TAD went back to London the same day you got here. Oh yeah, that was the whole Bremerton thing with your former SFA, right?"

"Yeah, Tony DiNozzo is the new junior there, he bumped Julian."

"Yeah, I don't think Julian would be too happy about coming back here and can't say as I blame him. Being TAD'd on top of just having lost your permanent berth through no fault of your own, that had to hurt, even though it was a matter of necessity and he did a good job while he was here." Pete paused, "Did you have a chance to meet the other junior agent while you were in London?"

Tim had to think, "I'm not sure, I don't think so but what's the name?"

There was silence as Pete searched his memory. "I should know this; Joel has mentioned her a few times." More silence. "Alex…Maggie? No…those aren't right. She's from the Midwest, hadn't done a lot of traveling so London was a real eye opener for her. Darn, it's on the tip of my tongue!"

"Stop trying, it'll come to you. Oh, hang on, there's the bell, that's Matt for our run."

"You won't…"

"Nope, not a word."

"Attaboy. Ok, go run, shoot and shop and I'll try to think of the name."

"Thanks Pete, talk to you later."

Tim hung up, grinning and then remembered the whole thing had come up because Carla was on bed rest. He ran downstairs and let Matt in. "Thanks man, hey you're not ready!"

"No, sorry, Pete called and we got to talking. Carla had a scare last night and she's been put on bed rest."

"They're…"

Tim nodded, "They're ok; Pete said they were in really good hands here."

Matt sank into a chair. "I know we've been expecting it but still…"

Tim patted him on the shoulder, "She won't disappear from our lives, Matt. We'll just have to offer to babysit when the babies are old enough – you know, about 6 – and we'll all be part of their family."

Matt nodded, "She picked me, you know. Out of FLETC, I accepted the offer from NCIS because my dad's Navy and next thing I know, she's calling me, asking me if I want to move to Greece and work. "

Tim pulled up a chair next to him. "I was placed in Norfolk but I kept getting TAD'd up to DC to work with the lead MCRT. Took a year, but I kept at it and Gibbs transferred me onto his team. We'll always have a special feeling for them, Matt, you for Carla and me for Gibbs. They picked us; they saw something they liked and picked us."

"But you left and things were bad. I don't know more than that but Pete told us a little bit."

Tim nodded, Pete had told him that. "Yeah, I chose to leave, but you know what, I'll still always have that moment where Gibbs told me I was part of his team."

He thought for a moment and then continued. "There are no guarantees, we know that. And in a strange way, things are better between Gibbs and me now than they've ever been. By leaving I finally did something that got his attention, he listened and now he's trying to make it right. Yeah, we have a long way to go, but I have hope again. Matt, my point is that I don't work for Gibbs anymore, I'll never work for him again and he's still trying to work this out. We mean something to them." Tim had to swallow hard at that. "And as I said, we'll still each always have that knowledge, that we were specifically selected by Carla and Gibbs."

Matt smiled, nodding. "Yeah, you're right and that's pretty cool, I hadn't thought of it that way. Ok, I need coffee, you go change; you can't go running in your jammies!" Tim laughed and ran upstairs to change.

After their run, they returned to the office to change and grab their weapons, they took Matt's car to the shooting range which was about twenty minutes out of town. They worked for an hour before Tim was satisfied with their results. It wasn't lunchtime yet so they decided to do some shopping and then see what came up. On the way to the station, Matt cleared his throat, "Huh, Tim about shopping, I know you want local and that's fine, we'll go to the stores I told you about. But about clubbing…I don't know what the trend is in DC, but around here the clubs are pretty smart and trendy. You're not going to get in if you wear your work clothes or jeans. I had to buy some new clothes when I got here, so I could show you where and what if you want." Tim nodded, "Yeah, that would be great Matt, thanks! So work and play clothes, huh?" Matt grinned.

They took the Metro to the Monastiraki station and then walked to Ermou Street. While there were plenty of big stores there, Matt took him into a local shop where he'd bought several of his shirts and Tim wandered through, looked at the merchandise. The pretty young saleslady was very attentive and helped him select three pairs of pants suitable for work. He also bought 2 lightweight pairs for casual as he thought jeans would be too hot in the late spring and summer months. However, when Matt mentioned shorts, Tim shook his head. He had scarring on his legs from the car wreck and he generally didn't wear shorts in public. Maybe he'd buy a pair later just in case he got desperate, but he wasn't ready to do that today. While he was looking through the casual pants, he also found shirts he liked and ended up buying four that would be good for the office or case work and two more casual shirts for leisure time. He remembered Vance's advice to have at least one suit but the cost of his tux was so reasonable he'd decided to have a suit made by the same tailor, figuring it would last longer and certainly look better. He'd said as much to Matt who had grinned and told him he'd done the same thing. Their next stops were for 'clubbing clothes' and Matt helped Tim select a few items that could be mixed, shirts and belts and pants.

As they exited the shop with his shopping bags, Tim mentioned boots. When Matt looked blank, he told him Carla's story about being called out and ending up in the Sahara desert and she being the only one with boots. They were hungry now, so they decided to eat lunch first and then worry about boots. Tim had heard from an online friend in the States, Starsinherhair, about an eatery called Thanasis located in Monastiraki. Stars said that they served an awesome minced meat souvlaki. Matt hadn't been there before and Tim felt a little smug that he was showing their probie someplace new.

Both men thoroughly enjoyed their meals and Tim asked the server to take a photo of them eating their meal. He thought of doing a selfie but he wanted to make sure to get both them and their souvlakis in the shot. He'd send it to Stars when he got back to the room. While they stuffed themselves, Tim told Matt stories about shoes and crime scenes, mostly poking gentle fun at his younger self. By the time they finished eating Matt was convinced he needed boots too. They looked for men's shoe stores and found one in the vicinity. Tim didn't want anything fancy, just a plain boot with a good tread that could be worn in the desert, in mud or hiking a mountain and wouldn't fall apart. They reached the shoe store and Tim smiled, seeing the boots displayed in the window. A plain work boot, just what he wanted. Twenty minutes later, the two men walked out of the store, each with a new pair of boots. While Tim had been trying on the boots, Matt had spotted shoes for Tim that would be great for clubbing and talked him into buying them.

Tim had written down another tip from Stars, this one a museum in Kolonaki. It was the Benaki Museum, which had a little of everything - from Archaic and Classical Greek artifacts to Byzantine icons, Ottoman-period swords, and modern photos. Matt had heard Caleb mention it but he hadn't been there. They were close enough now to walk and although Tim had shopping bags, the paper kind with handles, they'd split them between them and they weren't heavy. So off they went to the Benaki Museum. They found it housed in a beautiful neoclassical mansion and were able to check their bags for later retrieval. They spent several hours roaming from room to room, exhibit to exhibit and both thought that this was the place to best experience the whole of Greek history. By the time they finally agreed to leave, each knowing he would have to come back for more, it was getting dark. Retrieving the shopping bags, they headed out to the Metro and Piraeus.

Once they'd reached Matt's car, they tucked the bags in the trunk and headed over to the Flying Pig for a pub dinner. They stayed to watch the end of a European football game on TV and then drove back to the office. Tim grabbed his shopping bags and did a chin wave goodnight to Matt as both hands were full. Upstairs, he hung up his new purchases, put his boots and shoes away and still wide awake, decided to watch a movie on his laptop. He'd brought some DVDs with him but hadn't gotten around to watching any yet. Now he pulled them out and decided on the original Iron Man movie.

XXX

Gibbs decided he would pack his fishing gear before he did anything else so he headed out to the garage to grab his favorite rod, reel and tackle. Some of the very few things he'd kept from any of his ex-wives were cases for his fishing rods and reels and he took them out now and spent a few minutes deciding which pole to take. Finally settling on two, he cleaned them up and loaded them in the case, doing the same with the reels.

He brought them into the house and stood in the living room, remembering he'd planned on calling DiNozzo today. It was only 0900 in Virginia which meant 0600 in the state of Washington, way too early to call Tony who had never been a morning person.

He took out his notepad and smiled as he crossed off the first item Tim had assigned to him. He'd talked with two of his neighbors and found they both had the same internet service and were satisfied with it. Turned out Ducky had the same one, so Jethro had called and made an appointment for the following Friday, knowing full well he and Tobias wouldn't last a whole week fishing. Ducky had already gotten the laptop recommendation from Tim's friend in Cybercrimes. Jimmy and Ducky would meet him later this morning to make the purchase. Both Jimmy and Emily Fornell had promised to help him set up the laptop – Gibbs had no idea why, didn't the things just start right up? Another promise from both was to download Skype for him. Gibbs didn't quite understand what downloading or uploading meant – from where and to where – and what the heck was live streaming - but as long as he could talk face to face with his boys and maybe eventually his girls, he was willing to try anything. He tried not to think of the irony of buying a computer and getting internet service to talk with Tim when he'd so thoroughly disrespected the guy who'd handled all that stuff for him for so many years.

Gibbs made a note of that as Rachel had asked him to do. He'd told Tim he was undergoing counseling but he hadn't mentioned that he'd started it the day after he returned from Stillwater. He'd seen Dr. Cranston every day this week, determined to find the reasons why he'd failed Tim and the others so spectacularly. He'd thought counseling would be horrible but instead had found it almost a relief to be there. After being able to see Tim yesterday, he'd gone to his appointment all smiles and then found himself nearly sobbing out his grief and anger. The doc said he'd needed to do that although he hadn't thought he'd have any tears left after his earlier meltdowns. He thought that figuring this out and fixing what was wrong with his family was probably the most important thing he'd done since he'd been a husband to Shannon and father to Kelly. He'd asked the doc if he could tell Tim that he thought of him as a son and she'd agreed with Duck, that it was too soon and might be too much. Then he'd confessed his unfortunate comment to Tim about talking with DiNozzo and Tim's subsequent refusal. He told her of his hurt and his pride in the young man who was finally able to stand up for himself against his former boss. Rachel nodded and made notes. Then she took him back to Tim's days at Norfolk and the first time they'd met. She asked him to describe it and he huffed a laugh as he told her first about Tim's face mask and gloves to handle a hazmat situation and then about Tim warning him of a tough captain and then not backing down when he called him on it. She asked him about the hazmat and he told her it was in the regulations but that both he and DiNozzo had laughed at him.

"Why? He was new and following regulations for his own health and safety, why would you laugh at him?"

Gibbs sighed. "Because he looked funny. I called him Michael Jackson because of the face mask."

"So it started that very first day."

"What started?"

"Your disrespect for him, both you and DiNozzo." Gibbs sat in stunned silence. Tim had looked different than they had. He and DiNozzo never bothered with health and safety - stuff like that. It wasn't…it wasn't manly, it wasn't the Marine way. Although now that he thought about it, the Marines had certainly drilled him enough on it.

"Go on, tell me the rest."

Now he laughed outright, "After I came down on him for warning me about the captain, he reminded me so much of Kelly, the way he just kept going, didn't let me intimidate him." He paused, "That lasted until I transferred him to the team. Then we put him through my Marine training. He had trouble with it, but he never complained, always did what I asked."

"Did the others get that same training? And you said "we"…who else was a Marine?"

Gibbs was startled, "Uh, no one else on the team had been a Marine. I meant DiNozzo. And no, the others didn't get the same training. Kate was a Secret Service agent and DiNozzo a cop, they didn't need it."

"I want you to think about what I'm going to ask you next before you answer. Why would you expect DiNozzo to know "Marine" training when he wasn't a Marine and hadn't had the training himself?

That one hit Gibbs straight in the gut. While he was trying to think about it, Rachel continued.

"Second question, if the others didn't get your Marine training, what kind of training did they get? Was it anywhere near as aggressive as the Marine training Tim went through?" Gibbs finally got his head back into the present. "They basically had NCIS training, the same stuff other agents get. And no, it's nowhere near as aggressive as the Marine training."

"So the two experienced law enforcement agents got less aggressive training while the probationary agent with no previous military or law enforcement experience got the more aggressive training." Gibbs swallowed, when it was put to him like that, it didn't make sense. "I guess I didn't think about the others, just McGee."

"McGee?"

He looked at the doc. "Yeah."

"You've been referring to him as Tim recently, now he's back to McGee."

He sighed, frustrated with her and with himself. "Look, I'm so mixed up I can't think straight. I came in here happy because I got to see and talk with Tim. And now I'm back to being the team lead who didn't lift a finger to help or support one of my team."

"Yes, but the truth is you're always going to be that guy. You can't expect three phone conversations to make everything better. Yes, you two are speaking and that's given you a break from your grief and anger – and it sounds like it has given Tim a break too. But the fact is, we haven't even scratched the surface of your behavior yet and even when we do, even when someday you and Tim are perfectly fine with each other, you will still have been that guy. The fact that you're remorseful now doesn't change the fact that you acted as you did for nearly a decade."

She paused. "I'm having a tough time because I know Tim and of course my sister is involved, this Is hard for me to hear. I've thought about recusing myself from your case, sending you to a colleague."

Gibbs felt that blow too. "If you need to do that, Doc, go ahead. I came here because you know us and because you're the only one I can talk to about this."

"So you're saying if I referred you to someone else, you would not work with that other person?"

Thinking he knew where she was headed with this, he was equally blunt. "No, I wouldn't."

"Then I'll stay with you, I can't in good conscience let you continue without counseling; for one thing it would mean the end of your field career."

She paused again. "Back to you and Tim, did he ever stand up to you?"

"Not so much, not in his first couple of years. If he tried, DiNozzo shot him down, even Kate or Ziva sometimes and I let them, sometimes I'd get right in his face and shut him down."

"Why?"

"I thought he needed toughening up."

"How?'

"Physically. He, well, he just looked like a cream puff, you know?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't, tell me."

"He was so young; he was chubby and had these big expressive eyes."

"Were those the same eyes he'd had before you put him on your team?"

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't important then."

"Why not?"

"Because he wasn't sitting across from me day after day."

Rachel tried to hide her shock. "Jethro, are you attracted to Tim?"

"What? You mean physically attracted?"

At her nod, he shook his head. "No, Doc, I love the kid like he's my own son, nothing like that."

"Then why do his eyes bother you so much?"

"It's not just his eyes."

"Then what else?"

"Everything. He's so good hearted and curious, very little temper."

"And that bothers you?"

Gibbs sat in thought. He started to answer when the alarm went off, signaling the end of their hour. Rachel asked him to write down his thoughts about why Tim's eyes and personality bothered him when he was the one who had sought him out to help his team and then transferred him from Norfolk.

XXX

In his living room, Gibbs sat staring at his notepad. Rachel had told him to write anything down, words, phrases, anything that came to mind. Now he wrote the words hurt and angry. He'd spent years being angry at Tim McGee. How could he say he loved him when he'd been angry with him since he joined the team? And hurt, some days it just hurt to see him; he couldn't stand to look at him. He wrote that down too. Sighing he put his notepad back in his pocket and headed to the kitchen for more coffee. It was still too early to call DiNozzo.

* * *

Many thanks to Starsinherhair for all her wonderful suggestions; she studied in Greece and has told me of lots of fun places for Tim to visit. We'll see more of her tips scattered throughout the story. Some I'm saving for a more romantic venture, he he!


	15. Chapter 15

Huge thanks as always to my beta, Harmonfreak1. Also more thanks to Starsinherhair for her suggestions!

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Fifteen

By the time Gibbs had lunch with Ducky and Jimmy and returned home with his new laptop, it was late enough to call DiNozzo. Using his landline, he punched in Tony's cell number which rang a couple of times before he picked up. "Hey Boss!"

"Hey DiNozzo, how're you doing?"

"Pretty good. Had a decent week at work, my new boss is tougher than you – I know, hard to believe – but he liked a couple things I did on a case, so that was good. "

"Well of course, Tony, you're a hell of an investigator."

"Thanks but this was actually doing some searches – you know, like Pro…McGee does."

"So you learned something from him, just didn't know it?"

"Yeah I learned from him and I knew it, just didn't want to get stuck doing them…I wanted to be out in the field, not stuck inside like he was." Gibbs had to swallow at that, that wasn't the first time DiNozzo had said something like that and now he decided to call him on it. "You know, as Senior Field Agent, one of your duties was to let me know when I was doing something wrong, something out of line and that's a good example."

"So now it's my fault?"

"Both our faults. Mine for doing it in the first place, yours for not standing up for Tim, not standing up to me."

"Huh. Interesting take on it."

There was silence and then DiNozzo started talking again, much to Gibbs' relief. In this case he knew his pushing had been correct, Tony needed to know so when he was promoted again, he'd get it right. DiNozzo talked a little about the case, his first one as a newly demoted junior agent, and finally got around to talking about his counseling sessions.

"They're weird, you know. I think I have everything figured out and then the doc will ask me something and it all falls apart again."

"Yeah, I'm having the same problem. I talked with Tim again yesterday and I was happy and then I went to the doc's and fell to pieces."

"You?"

"Yeah, Tony, this is rough on all of us."

"Not Tim, I'll bet he's happy as a clam."

"You really mean that?"

DiNozzo sighed, "No, I guess not, it's just hard to admit, hard to realize how awful I was to him and for so long." He paused, "Boss do you know what the final straw was, what made him leave? Because when I think back on it, I thought we were ok, the three of us."

"I asked Ducky the same question, Tony. Did you realize that Ziva never spoke to Tim, never said goodbye? And we moped around like it was only our personal loss…Ducky said that according to Tim it was the same as when we thought she was dead. We never considered how he felt about it, never asked him how he was doing, nothing. Neither of us."

"And that was it?"

"Ducky seems to think that was it, that it was enough. Maybe it was also that you guys were away from the team, away from work for four months and then came back and we just went back to work, same attitudes, no changes. "

"Yeah, I guess I could see that. Geez, I don't even know…how do I change something like that?"

"We can't, Tony, it's already done. We have to accept responsibility, figure out why we acted the way we did, change our behaviors and never subject anyone else to that treatment. And in my case anyway, try to make it right with Tim."

"You call him Tim now. You never did before, it was always McGee."

"Huh, you're right. Another way to keep him at arm's length I guess."

"What?"

"Nothing, sorry talking out loud to myself."

"Boss, you just said 'sorry'."

"Yeah, been doing that, Tony, thinking the Duke might not have been so right about that."

"Ok. So…how is he?"

"He loves his new job and his new team. They threw him a party, actually two…did I tell you this already?"

"No. What kind of party?"

"One was lunch brought into the office by the SAIC's wife, but first they had homemade pastries that morning. The second party was that Sunday at the SAIC's home with the whole staff."

"Wow! My welcome was a phone message at the residence hotel telling me to have my ass in the office Monday morning at 0700."

Gibbs huffed, "Sounds like my style, only I'd just expect you to know it, wouldn't leave you a message."

Tony laughed at that, "Yeah, that's you. Tell me more about Tim; you've talked with him twice now?"

"Three times, he called me Monday at home after Vance told him about his case being closed."

"To thank you?"

"To thank both of us and because he was upset; it hit him like a ton of bricks."

"He wanted to talk with you about it? That was a tough case, Boss, and what happened afterward… I wish I'd known, I might have watched what I did, what I said."

"We shouldn't have had to know, Tony, neither one of us bothered to get to know him. We both saw the chubby pale kid – a geek and we never changed that image in our heads. And no, not really to talk about it, he said he needed to hear my voice, he was pretty upset. "

"God, Boss. You're making me want to jump on the next flight to Athens."

"Yeah I know. I've got flight numbers and times just about memorized. But we're not there yet, DiNozzo, we each have to make it right with him."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, he wants to know why."

"What if the only answer is that I'm an asshole?"

"Then I guess that's what you tell him, but I don't think that's going to be enough, Tony, he already knows we're assholes."

"That's what my doc says too, that until I know why there's no point contacting him. But you've talked with him…"

"He called me; Ducky said something to him last week that worried him and he gnawed at it until he couldn't stand it and called Ducky knowing he was in Stillwater with me, to talk with me."

"So he's angry but he doesn't hate us?"

"Something like that."

"You're going to fix things with him?"

"God I hope so, I haven't wanted anything so bad since my girls died. I want my family back together, Anthony, all of us. Even if we don't work together, even if we live in different parts of the world."

"That's pretty powerful Boss."

"Good, it feels pretty powerful, like it's the most important thing I have to do, Tony."

"Ok, got it, so I need to keep working on it too."

"Yeah and Tony…I bought a laptop today, I'm having internet service installed next Friday and Jimmy's going to get Skype for me. Tim says if you… here let me read my notes… if you set up a Skype account too, then you and I can talk face to face."

"Me and you or Tim and me?"

"Just me and you for now, son. And you and Ducky if you'd like. And me and Tim. You and Tim once you work things out."

"Can't believe you're joining the modern world, Boss. A laptop and Skype, wow!"

"At Tim's suggestion I went over and sat with Ducky when we called him yesterday. I could see him, Tony; he was right in front of me. I wanted to reach out and touch him. I want you to get it too, son, I want to see you too, I miss you."

"Uh…" Tony's voice dropped to a whisper and Gibbs thought he was probably fighting his emotions just as he was. "I miss you too Boss. I'm so glad you called, I was afraid when I left that would be the end of it."

"Told you it wasn't."

"I know but Boss sometimes you just…let people go. You just do."

"Guess I have, son, although usually they're redheads. But I'll never do that with you or the others. I promise!"

"Thanks." The two talked for a few more minutes and Tony promised to have Skype set up and ready by the following Friday.

XXX

Sunday morning, Tim went for a run on one of the routes Matt had showed him, enjoying the fresh air and the movement. While the running was good, he had more on his mind. He'd realized that he was now on a team without a former Marine, ex-cop or former assassin and while he was a good shot, had improved significantly over the years and could use a knife with deadly force, he needed more. He'd taken some basic mixed martial arts classes in the last few years and Ziva had worked with him to hone those skills but now he wanted more. He didn't need to be a street fighter but he needed to be able to use his body to defend himself and his teammates. He wanted the skills of Gibbs' Marine fight training, DiNozzo's street brawling and Ziva's, well everything, to defend his team. He'd lost the weight, he'd gained the muscle, he'd increased his endurance, he'd learned to shoot and shoot well, kept up his throwing and attack skills with his knife but he wasn't done yet. When he finished his run, he showered and dressed, finishing his breakfast and getting his stuff together to take with him today.

When everything was ready, he sat down with his phone and started looking for martial arts classes. What he would ideally like would be a private teacher, one willing to work around his work hours and perhaps tailor his teachings to Tim's specific needs. He found a few listings that looked good to him, looking at his watch he thought it was probably too early to call. He'd noticed last Sunday that most people seemed to go to church on Sundays, so he thought he'd wait until closer to noon. He wasn't meeting Eva and Caleb until 1300 and that would give him a few minutes to make those calls.

Later, after speaking with four martial arts teachers, Tim was bemused. When he tried to explain to the first one that he was in law enforcement and needed to work around his hours, the guy hung up on him. Tim wondered if he'd said something wrong but he put his side of the conversation into the translation app and it was right, so who knew what the guy was thinking or what he had to hide. The second man was enthusiastic and Tim had an appointment with him for tomorrow evening, provided they didn't get a case. The man had laughed and said he had relatives in law enforcement, he understood. He'd had to leave a message at the third one because the recording said that he didn't work or take calls on Sundays. Ok, he could understand needing a day of rest, but how would that work with his schedule? The fourth guy was so cautious that Tim wondered if he'd punched in the wrong numbers. The guy allowed an appointment to be set up, however, so Tim shrugged, he'd see what he was all about. Afterward he wondered if the man had reacted to whatever ID had displayed on his phone. He would approach that one with caution, if he had time he might do a background check on him, in fact he should do one on the other guy too.

He headed off to meet his tour guides de jour and had a fun and interesting afternoon touring the Ancient Agora of Athens. The agora had been the center of political and public life in Athens and was thought to have been laid out as early as the 7th century before the Christian era, although many argued it was a century later. Tim realized that "agora" had to be the root of the word agoraphobia, the fear of open or public places and he made note of that on his phone for a possible future literary reference. As they approached the site, Caleb steered them first toward the museum. Tim was fascinated with the various depictions of the agora which had first been hypothesized and then proven or revised when the excavation began a few years before World War II. After Caleb led him through the museum and Tim had the picture in his mind of what it had looked like, they went outside and viewed the ruins. Tim thought that had been a very effective way of doing it; when he saw the ruins after the museum, he understood what they'd been, what they meant. He enjoyed the afternoon with his new friends and was happy to discover that Caleb was not as quiet as he'd seemed at the party last week. He had a dry sense of humor and was obviously devoted to Eva, both traits Tim heartily approved. After they had drunk their fill of the agora, Caleb led them to the Kerameikos Cemetery, which was a few minutes' walk. It was large and quiet, with ornate steles (burial stones, monuments) and a great little museum with a lot of funerary and burial artifacts. Tim was glad he wasn't alone and it was still bright daylight even though he enjoyed seeing everything. He'd made a mental note on their walk there to come back and just wander through the Plaka and Monastiraki again, probably several times. Laughing to himself he hoped three years was long enough to see everything he wanted to in this fascinating place!

By the time he got home that evening, he was pleasantly tired. He took out all the postcards he'd bought over the weekend and wrote a few to send out in Monday's mail. There was a spectacular card depicting the whole of the Acropolis and Parthenon and Tim wrote a brief message to the kids at the shelter and camp, addressing it to a friend who worked at the shelter knowing she would share it with the children and then post it in the dining area. He wrote another card to James, he'd written one last week, and then realized that Rob would be arriving in London at about this time the following Sunday.

He looked at the time and realized it was close enough to their scheduled time to call his sister and brother. The three of them talked for nearly an hour, just catching up. They had finally had a letter from Geordie, sent to Sarah's address. He was excited about all of them moving to Europe and really excited about what each of them was doing. Sarah read the letter aloud three times while they drafted a group response to him, this time using Tim's office as the return address. When they were satisfied with the letter, Sarah promised to print and mail it in the morning. Before they ended the call, Rob asked that they have one last call before his flight to London, so they scheduled that for the following Saturday.

When Tim disconnected from the call, he grabbed a postcard he'd bought at the museum yesterday and wrote on it. He'd mail it later in the week so it would arrive at James' flat shortly after Rob did. He took another card and wrote a quick note of his own to Geordie and numbered it as he'd already sent cards to him during his travels in the UK and last weekend from Athens.

That done, he caught up with his e-mail, sending the photos of yesterday's lunch to Stars and updating James with the week's events. Then he fixed some dinner for himself and ate while watching a couple of favorite shows on his laptop. Remembering he needed to break in his boots, he ran upstairs and put them on, then clumped back downstairs again and started outlining his first post "Deep Six" book. That was still a book away, but he liked to get ahead of his writing. He would write the book in the same style as Tibbs & Co., but the characters would not be based on any of his current or past co-workers. He would make up a country, research several dissimilar countries and then combine traits for his fictitious place. He thought he would include some of the history he'd learned here and in the UK and do a lot of mixing. His notes finally as complete as they'd get this far ahead of the actual writing, he saved the work off into a future fic folder. He also left himself a note in the folder that he needed a new penname. He knew it would be a battle with his publisher or any publisher he went to since the Gemcity books were proven sellers but he was determined to try. He spent a little bit of time researching and came up with David Smith – a compilation of two of the actors who played his favorite Doctor: David Tennant and Matt Smith. Another idea was Edward Reese; he thought Reese Witherspoon was wonderful and Sarah's favorite stuffed animal was Winnie the Pooh, formal name Edward Bear. That gave him another name, Chris Baer. Lastly he input the one that meant the most to him as it closely echoed the meaning of his name: Zubin Cai. Saving his suggestions, he closed the heavily encrypted file.

Before he logged off, he sent a quick e-mail to Ducky, asking him to make sure he let him know Gibbs' new e-mail address when he got it. Just for fun, he included a few suggestions, "hardassmarine, Rule18, yathink and thwack". He got an answer back almost immediately, with several laughing emoticons and one that was a hugging emoticon, plus a wish for him to have a good evening.

He walked out into the garden for a few minutes, turning on the lights and enjoying the fairytale look of things. Then he turned them off and sat on the ground, looking at the stars and knowing his family could see many of the same ones. Thus reassured, he clumped back upstairs, took his boots off, hoping they wouldn't always clomp quite so loudly – they sounded too much like Abby's clomping boots and he didn't want to think about her or her boots - and went to bed.

XXX

Gibbs sighed and punching his pillow, gave up and headed to the coffeemaker. He and Tobias had arrived late last night and Tobias had begged him not to wake him early this morning. Dawn was just breaking and Gibbs had had more than enough sleep. He wanted to catch fish so they could go home. He huffed at himself, this trip had been his idea, to get him out of the house and have some fun. Or do something different anyway. The two of them had been fishing together before, but always on the ocean and mostly day trips, only occasionally staying over somewhere or sleeping on the boat. The cabin was fine really, but now he didn't really want to be here. After he got the coffee going and he made a trip to the head, he headed outside for wood to get a fire going in the woodstove. GEEZ, it was cold this morning! He hoped they wouldn't have snow and was momentarily glad he'd allowed Tobias to rent a 4 wheel drive for their trek up here. He was glad Vance had said he could use his work cell and reimburse the agency for personal use. Now he wondered if his cell would work and if he had enough minutes to call Dr. Cranston. Once or twice during the week, then they'd be home on Thursday. Maybe three times, he'd taken a lot of notes since their last session.

He got the fire going and left the damper wide open to build the heat in the place. Hearing the coffeemaker gurgling, he headed into the kitchen and poured his first cup. Ahh…that was better, maybe this place wasn't so bad after all. Ducky would get that frustrated look if he came home early and Tobias really did need a break, he worked too hard and still had to deal with their mutual ex-wife, the she-devil. He couldn't talk to Tim until at least Friday anyway, probably Saturday by the time the installer had finished with his internet setup. Tim had said they'd be on call next weekend, so he might not even be available. Tony was getting Skype set up too, so for sure they would talk. Both his boys, that would be really good. And maybe Abby would text Ducky; maybe she was ready to talk to him. And Ziva…he sighed, who knew what would happen with her, he just hoped she would surface and let them back in her life. In the meantime, he'd fish. There was nothing like the taste of fresh fish, nothing like it in the world. He poured another cup of coffee. Yeah, this was ok.

* * *

If anyone has other suggestions for Tim's new penname and/or Gibbs' e-mail address, I'd love to hear them!

Many thanks for all your reviews, reads, follows and favorites, can't tell you how much they mean to me!

For more about the ancient agora of Athens, go to  
en DOT Wikipedia DOT org SLASH wiki SLASH Ancient_Agora_of_Athens


	16. Chapter 16

Finding Home

Chapter Sixteen

Tim woke before his alarm Monday morning, his second Monday in Greece, his first as the official Senior Field Agent. Taking a moment to send positive thoughts toward Carla and Norm, Tim set out for his morning run, nodding to the other runners he saw. Run completed, he showered and dressed and then made himself breakfast. After popping his dishes into the dishwasher, he parked his coffee mug on his desk, turned on the lights and then swung down the hall to turn on the copier. He was as excited today as he'd been last week and he hoped everything went as well as it had last week.

Tim booted up his computer and while he was waiting, did a quick once over of his desk and Carla's to see what would have to be moved. He wondered if Norm would come to collect her personal belongings and who would pack them up. He certainly wasn't in any hurry; their new junior agent certainly wasn't going to show up this week so he could stay put. These people had worked together for a long time and Carla's absence, no matter that it had been anticipated for months, would take some adjustment. He understood that Pete wanted to tell the rest of them this morning and also announce Tim's official promotion, also not a secret. He could change desks anytime.

He checked his e-mails and was happily surprised to see several responses to his request for junior agent recommendations. He had access and permission to view certain portions of the candidates' personnel files; he pulled those up and started sifting through them. Interviews would be via Skype but first he intended to do as much background work as possible. Being the organized being that he was, he made a spreadsheet with the attributes needed across the top and the names he had so far down the left side, leaving plenty of room for narrative. Having experienced this process once before, when they'd tried to fill Ziva's spot when she stayed in Israel, he knew the process could not be solely objective. A person could match every single criterion and still not be a good fit for the team. As it was, he knew two of the recommended agents and wasn't sure about either of them.

One was Susan Grady, the former polygraph tech and the other was Ned Dorneget, who had been for all intents and purposes working as a floater for two years. While he liked Ned, he didn't think another temporary position would be the best thing for his career. He also knew he was the only child of a single mother, although he also knew that could not be part of his decision. Yes, he'd be a good fit for the team and he'd love for the guy to be hired onto a team, but was it this one and again, for a temporary position? That didn't seem fair to Ned. And while he respected the effort Susan Grady had made for her career, he wasn't sure he wanted to work with her. No, he was sure he didn't want to work with her although he wasn't sure he could defend his position without revealing what had happened with her. Sighing, he realized once again that the junior agent would have to fit the team and he was part of the team. He moved down the list, carefully reading each one's file and updating his spreadsheet. By the time he got through a couple more names on his list, Pete, Tea and Kim had arrived. When Pete saw him, he nodded and grinned, tilting his head toward the desk. Tim thought that might be approval of his not moving just yet, but wasn't quite sure. Whatever the gesture meant, Pete was pleased and that was enough for now. After Matt and Eva arrived, Pete pulled everyone into the conference area and told them about Carla, reassuring them that she was doing ok; the doctors hoped that she could go a few more weeks. He had spoken with her this morning before leaving for work, wanting to have the latest news for them. Once all the questions had been asked, Pete then went on to announce Tim's official promotion and he was given a round of applause. Tea looked puzzled. "Tim, you knew about Carla…over the weekend?"

Tim nodded, "Yes, Pete called me Saturday morning."

Tea nodded, still looking puzzled and looked at Kim. Kim nodded back at her, she'd ask the question. "I guess we're wondering why you haven't changed desks yet."

Tim looked surprised. "I didn't want to poke around in Carla's personal things. I figured Norm might come in for them. I'm in no hurry; I can be SFA from anywhere."

The others smiled at him and Kim spoke up, "No reason you should know this, but we all switched desks, well except for Tea, a couple of months ago. Pete likes to shake things up every now and then. So that desk hasn't been Carla's for very long." She smiled at Tim, "That was sweet of you, but it's ok to take the desk, it belongs to the Senior Field Agent and that's you. Eva and I will pack Carla's things up today."

Tim nodded and decided to share something from his old life. "On my previous team, there was one desk in the bullpen that when I first joined the team was occupied first by an agent named Kate Todd. She was murdered by a Hamas terrorist during my first year on the team, right after he shot at and missed me. Before we got a permanent replacement, we had a TAD named Paula Cassidy who sat at Kate's desk; she was kidnapped by a copycat serial killer but survived. However a few years later she was killed saving us from a suicide bomber. A couple of weeks after Paula's TAD, the desk was taken by a Mossad liaison officer who left 4 years later; subsequently we were told she was dead. We eventually hired someone - a few someones - to occupy that desk, but none of them lasted. Our Mossad liaison teammate was found alive; she returned to us and became an NCIS agent, only to leave again last summer. So that desk became something of an issue to the rest of us, anyone not one of us who even touched it when it was empty was subjected to all kinds of bad behavior - and I didn't want to inadvertently cause problems here. "

Pete cleared his throat, "That's the one you went to Somalia to rescue."

Tim tilted his head, "We went to Somalia to avenge her and finish her mission, the mission she'd been assigned by her Mossad boss. We had been told she was dead and we had no evidence to disbelieve that. Only she wasn't dead, we found her being held by the terrorist cell she'd been sent to investigate."

Tea and Eva gasped, "In Somalia? That place is much feared."

Kim looked at him, "Was Mossad part of your operation into Somalia? Did they know she was alive?"

Tim shook his head, "They were not part of the mission and...I'm not sure if anyone knew she was alive."  
He nodded to Tea and Eva, "Somalia is feared for good reason, but we survived, completed our mission and brought her home alive, an unexpected bonus." Tim took a sip of his coffee to disguise his emotions about Ziva. His partner who evidently didn't think of him as her partner, who had asked him to risk his career and his freedom to help her track down the assassin who murdered her father and Jackie Vance and then months later left without saying a word to him. He found he had no more coffee in his mug and jumped up to get more, wanting only to be present in the here and now. Kim and the others finished their beverages and went back to work.

When Tim turned with his full mug, he found Pete standing behind him. "That was what happened, then, something she did was the last straw." Tim nodded and smiled, "Afraid big parts of it are classified."

"It was her father that was the target at Vance's home, the night Jackie Vance was murdered." Tim nodded.

"Ok, no more questions."

Tim smiled. "Thanks. I do have some good news this morning. I have a list of 14 people who were recommended for our junior agent." Pete gestured to him and they walked to his office, closing the door behind them.

"Wow, that's great! Wait, when you did start working on the list?"

Tim grinned, "This morning Pete. I really do know what no work on weekends means!"

"No worries, you'll be making up for that as soon as whatever good luck fairy has been visiting us moves on."

"There are actually 16 names but right now I'm concentrating on 14 of them."

"Pretty early to wash out two."

Tim nodded, "I know them both. One is a young woman who used to be the agency polygraph tech, I have a tiny bit of personal history with her and I have a problem with her…ethics, I suppose I'd call it. I don't mean she's an outright bad person but twice she's done things that I believe shows a problem with her concept of ethical behavior. The other one will be a fine junior agent, but he's been knocking around in temporary positions at Headquarters for two years now and I don't think another temporary position would help his career. I was actually hoping he'd be selected for Gibbs' new team."

Pete's eyes widened. "Gibbs is getting another team?"

Tim looked alarmed as he nodded, "I didn't realize that wasn't known amongst the SAICs."

Pete clapped him on the shoulder, "I'm surprised Vance would do that after losing two agents and well, you know. However, it's not my business to discuss, so no worries, Tim that was an honest mistake. So where are you with the 14?"

Tim pulled his work up on Pete's computer and showed him what he'd done so far. Pete added a couple of items to the criteria, one was a required second language spoken in the region and the other was really a talking point, having to do with living so close to the always boiling cauldron that was the Middle East. When Tim raised an eyebrow at the language requirement, Pete chuckled, "Matt is learning, by the time he makes junior he'll be speaking as well as we do." He continued, "I know we're not supposed to look at this or talk about it, but we need people who will be here for the agency, not for their own agenda. We're federal agents in a foreign land, even in our off hours we represent the agency and Uncle Sam. No proselytizing, no politics, no coming here to meet girls or boys."

Tim bit back a smile at that one and Pete grinned, "Ok, so I met Trina here, but that wasn't why I took the job." Now Tim openly laughed at him. "It wasn't, really! How was I supposed to know that some Greek-American goddess would descend upon me weeks after I got here and save me from a life of lonely bachelorhood?" He looked at Tim, eyes twinkling, "Just you wait! I predict you'll be saying something similar someday!"

Tim grinned back, "I can only hope! Ok, I'm going to go back through and check out the additional criteria on these names and then keep moving down the list. When I'm done with that, I'll contact Major Fleming at FLETC and get his opinion on them, might be easier to send him the list of names and get his take. Then we do some more whittling and when we get to our short list, we can start interviewing. Thought we'd use Skype for that. Oh, did you ever remember the name of Joel's junior?"

"Yes, finally and you're lucky you didn't get a call in the middle of the night! It's Laurel."

Tim shook his head, "No, I didn't meet a Laurel. If Julian is still there, do you think Joel would be willing to part with her for the better part of a year?'

"Possibly, let's just add her name to the list and go through the process. No use even bringing it up with him if we find another gem in there somewhere."

Tim smiled, "One of the things you should know is that I'm confident none of these people have sent me names of people they'd just rather get rid of - send off somewhere."

"Of course not, Tim I trusted I didn't have to worry about that. Now, you and I have a Skype appointment with the Director at 1800 so you can present your plan. Do you mind staying late? Your commute will be a little easier after that." They both chuckled.

They spoke a little more about Tim's new position and some tasks Pete was delegating to him. One of those was dealing with Mossad. As the office closest to several hot spots, the SAIC and the Mossad Director had a call at least once a month. That call was coming up this week and Pete wanted Tim to sit in on it and be prepared to handle it from here on. "With your experience with Mossad, you'll have a clearer take on their concerns than I do. "

Tim nodded, "I hope things have changed with the new Director, Orli Elbaz."

"Meaning?"

Tim hesitated, "I'm sure Eli David was a good Director for his country, a good soldier for Israel, he must have been since they're still there. But he played fast and loose with his operatives sometimes – and especially with his daughter. After the Somalia mission, he sent one of his lead operatives to DC to burn Ziva with us. We figured it out and burned him instead but yeah, that was what seemed to be a classic Eli David manipulation. He also raised a son to be a mole in Hamas, only to have the son turn on him and become a double agent with Hamas, with his loyalties to anyone who was against his father."

Pete put the puzzle pieces together and paled, "Are you saying the Hamas terrorist who killed your co-worker…"

Tim nodded, "Yeah, his son."

"Is this going to impact your dealings with Mossad?"

"He's dead, Pete. I can't blame the whole agency or the new Director. So no, I won't have a problem as long as the same sort of things aren't happening and affecting our operations with them." Satisfied, Pete went on to another topic and the two spent another hour going over staffing, the budget and various other things. Tim told him of his plan to take additional martial arts training and Pete approved both of the classes and Tim running discreet background checks on the instructors. He also mused aloud whether Matt or Kim would be interested. Tim laughed as he'd already thought of that but wanted to find the right instructor before approaching the others with the idea.

When Tim returned to his desk, he noticed that there was a neatly packed box on Carla's desk and he smiled his thanks to Kim and Eva. He spent the rest of the day alternating working with Matt on cold case files, having him do the reviews, and on working through the files of their 15 candidates, having added Laurel, whose last name was Miller. He was sure the others knew what he was doing, it certainly wasn't a secret that they were short a junior agent. If Vance approved the TAD idea, then Pete thought they should tell Matt so he could make plans accordingly. As he pointed out to Tim, they didn't even know if their probationary agent would want to stay. Wanting to get through the list before the call with Vance, Tim made himself lunch and ate at his desk. He figured it would take at least a month before the new person could arrive, so the sooner they selected that person the better for them all.

As usual when Tim had his head down in a project, time flew by and he laughed at his surprise when the others left for the night at 1700, calling out their goodbyes. Tim's appointment with the martial arts guy wasn't until 19:30, so he had plenty of time. He'd finished his list of 15 and run a background check on tonight's appointment, all was well there.

After the others left, Tim's stomach started growling and Pete, on his way to the copier, chuffed at him. "Why don't you stop and have something to eat? I'm kind of hungry too and Trina and the kids are out this evening, so I'll be on my own to forage for myself when I get home."

Tim nodded, he'd like the company. He checked the refrigerator, suggesting a simple meal to Pete. His boss's eye lit up, Tim thought that was funny as he was feeling bad about cooking an American meal but apparently Pete liked the idea. So Tim quickly cooked pasta and heated frozen meatballs with jarred pasta sauce and a little olive oil, throwing some fresh spinach in the water with the pasta for the last minute and offering freshly grated Romano cheese as a topper. It certainly wasn't anyone's idea of a gourmet or even particularly healthy meal, but it was quick and filling. While Tim was cooking the pasta, Pete ran out and got ice cream, so they had that for dessert, Tim desperately hoping the martial arts instructor wouldn't want him to demonstrate what he already knew this evening.

They still had a few minutes left before Vance called, so Pete took their coffees out to the garden while Tim ran upstairs to grab his boots. He'd told Pete who had laughed and told him he still hadn't bought boots and now Tim and Matt could take all the sandy, muddy or steep crime scenes. When Tim clomped downstairs in them, he found Pete nearly doubled over in laughter at the noise. He passed along a tip to help break in the things, for which Tim was grateful.

Finally it was 1800 and the two gathered in front of the plasma, waiting for Vance's call. As this was his regularly scheduled weekly call, his first order of business when he appeared on the screen was to congratulate Tim on his promotion and express concern for Carla. Pete updated him on the previous weeks' business although Vance already knew about the case. Vance also wanted to bring them up to date on some international cases that were active, although there was nothing that would likely impact them in their region of the world. Finally, _finally_ they moved on to staffing and Pete turned the floor over to Tim. He gave a brief summary of what he'd done to gather candidates and then segued into his idea, keeping it to their office and not mentioning the idea of a group of TADs. When he finished there was silence; he looked at Vance and was glad he'd gotten to know him a little better because now he could see the twinkle in his eyes. He relaxed a bit. Vance finally nodded and then gave in to a grin. "I should have know you'd come up with something unique, Senior Field Agent McGee. See, Pete, this is part of why he's so special, he looked at current staffing needs as well as future. I'm very pleased, Timothy that once again you've seemingly read my mind."

"Sir?"

"You know about Julian Bashow in Joel's shop, I pulled his post in Bremerton."

Pete and Tim nodded.

"He needs to be assigned somewhere. Now, I know of a couple of names that went out in an e-mail to you, tell me who the others are."

Keeping quiet for the moment about the removal of Grady and Dorneget, Tim read the rest of the names, including Laurel Miller. Vance tilted his head, "So Bashow is off the list but Miller is on."

"Yes sir. Pete figured Julian wouldn't be happy with another TAD and we thought if we TAD'd Miller, Bashow might get the spot in London, if that's what you and Joel decided of course."

"Of course. Go on…"

"We added a second language and additional criteria to our search and I've whittled our list down to 7."

"Not your short list yet. Ok, this is me poking my nose in, but are Grady and or Dorney…Dorneget on the list?"

"No sir, neither."

"I understand Grady from your perspective; I think I would do the same thing. What about Dorneget?"

"Sir, my objection to Grady isn't personal, if it was only that, there would be no problem. My problem is what I'm calling an ethical gap. First is my original experience with her – she mandated a second polygraph for me, which is serious stuff for any agent as it can be a career buster, solely for personal reasons - to nose around my personal life to see if I was in a relationship. And I just realized that happened in the previous administration."

"Yeah it did and when it came up on the subsequent case, Gibbs said he'd handled it."

"Good. I hope he spoke with her then, told her how inappropriate that was. The second thing was something she disclosed during the subsequent case. During the investigation into the explosion at her other employer, the one where she was moonlighting about three years ago, she mentioned that she had downloaded several polygraphs to her home computer, she said to "study them for responses" because she couldn't read people without the machine. Again she seemed to make it a personal matter; that's why Judge Wallace broke into her home and destroyed her computer. I object to her downloading, sir, confidential means confidential and downloading confidential files to one's home computer without approval is a breach of security and a breach of ethics, in my book."

Vance looked at him, "I wasn't aware of her actions, Agent McGee, but I do see your point about ethics. If that had happened here she would have been subject to termination. Again, I understand your reluctance to take her on for that reason. Would you have any recommendations for her?"

Tim nodded, "Ethics training, Sir. In the electronics age, it's too easy to forget what's confidential, what you have a right to download or even view. Hopefully a decent ethics seminar maybe with emphasis on electronic files and confidentiality of a position would help her understand how wrong both those incidents were." Vance nodded, "I'll take that under advisement and I'll take a look at that case file too. Do you know if the fact that she downloaded files made it into the file?"

"Yes it did sir, as it provided a motive for Judge Wallace's actions at Grady's home."

"Very well. All right, thank you for explaining that. None of us are perfect, but if we can help ourselves with additional training, that's good. Now, back to Dorney, huh, I need to stop that…Dorneget!"

"I've worked with him many times and I believe he's got real potential, Director Vance, but he's been in temporary positions for nearly two years, mostly in the evidence room. I didn't think another float would be helpful to his career and well, frankly I was hoping he might be selected for another team."

"Think he'd manage?"

"Yes, Sir, absolutely. He's worked within the confines of a team and worked with some difficult people in difficult situations. He's done good work with several of the teams in DC. Assigning him somewhere, preferably to a team, will do wonders for his confidence."

Vance did his best not to flinch at that, feeling a twinge of guilt for Tim's experiences and now Dorneget's. "For your ears only, the two of you, he's on the short list for that particular team."

The grin on Tim's face cemented his decision, their new SFA was a good judge of character and he was willing to take a chance on the heretofore unassigned 'Dorney'.

"Ok, so I'm now going to remove my nose from your staffing plans. You have funding for an overseas transfer. It's up to you and yes, you may implement your TAD plan. Will you let your probationary agent know?"

Pete fielded that one, "Yeah, Leon, we'd rather he know he has a job if he continues to do well and wants to stay; he can settle in and not have to worry about where he'll be shipped to next."

Vance nodded and they moved on to other topics. They were done by 18:45. Afterward Tim brought up his cell phone call with Gibbs the previous Monday, telling Pete he would pay the bill for the call. Thinking about the news Tim had received last week and how NCIS had dropped the ball on the family's murders, letting a case sit cold for 27 years, Pete refused his payment. They would tag it as an expense for the case and forward the bill to DC. Tim opened hi s mouth to argue and then decided to gracefully and gratefully accept. With a pat on the shoulder, Pete packed up and left. Tim went out to the garden with his tablet and read for a few minutes before he grabbed one of the agency vehicles for his appointment. He'd been surprised when Pete suggested it but the address was only a few minutes away so it wouldn't be a big expense and as Pete said, there would likely be times he'd use his own car on agency business.

The martial arts instructor, George Avramidis, welcomed him with a hand shake that turned into an offensive move. Tim blocked it and the other man smiled at him. "Excellent, Mr. McGee! Now, what can I help you with?"

Tim took a deep breath. "I'm in law enforcement, Mr. Avramidis, as we discussed yesterday. I shoot well, I'm trained on other weapons and I can hold my own with hand to hand combat. As you can see, I am also comfortable with mixed martial arts' basic moves. But I have a team to protect and I need to do more. I need more than "holding my own" or being comfortable. I don't necessarily need to be a master but I want to use my body as an efficient weapon. And I'm afraid with my crazy hours that private classes are the only answer for me."

"You may call me George and I can help you. As I told you, I have family in law enforcement, my brother and his son, and I understand the crazy hours, the sudden calls and the disappearing for a case. I like your goal; as much as we all want to be Steven Segal, it is not possible nor is it practical. A defense for your teammates – and it will help you bring down the bad guys, yes?"

Tim nodded.

"What I would like to do tonight, Mr. McGee is to put you through your paces. I need to know your skill level before we go any further. "

Tim laughed, "Please call me Tim and I knew I shouldn't have eaten the pasta and the ice cream tonight!"

"How long has it been since you ate?"

Tim looked at his watch, "Just over two hours."

The man was trying to hide a smile. "I will forgive that this once but from now on, unless you have not eaten that day, do not eat before you come here."

Tim nodded his acceptance. "Now, I still need to see where you stand, I will just have to take it a little easier on you than I'd planned."

By the time George was through with him, Tim was very glad he'd resumed his running and had worn comfortable clothing and that the man had taken "it a little easier" on him. They discussed cost and schedules with George pushing for classes three times a week and Tim only willing to commit to two, knowing full well if he made both of those it would be a miracle. From various conversations and Matt's file, he knew the young man was about the same level as him in martial arts; Tim raised the question of possibly bringing a teammate or two to class. George just grinned, that would be icing on the cake as far as he was concerned. He took the time that evening to show Tim one new move; his homework between now and Thursday night's class was to practice that move and be able to defend with it in class.

Tim left George's studio a little sore but very satisfied with the setup. He'd talk with Matt about it the next morning. As he walked into the darkened office, he practiced his new move. Unfortunately he was a little too close to his workstation and his desk phone went clattering to the floor. Laughing at his clumsiness, he stopped to pick it up and decided now was as good time as any to switch desks. He was done in 10 minutes and still wasn't sleepy, so he ran upstairs, picked up his tablet and ran back downstairs. He did his new move again, this time without causing anything to crash to the floor, grabbed a lemonade and headed out to the garden. He sat in his favorite chair, prepared to do some reading, but he was still revved up. Giving up on the reading, he found a wide spot in the garden and practiced both his new move and several of the other moves he knew already for nearly an hour before he caught himself yawning. It had been a long day and finally he was ready to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

THANK YOU to my beta HarmonFreak1, she knows why!

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Seventeen

Matt was in early Tuesday morning so Tim had a chance to talk with him about the martial arts classes. He was enthusiastic and mentioned that it would look really good on his record during his probie year. Tim had to bite his tongue to keep from telling him the other news just yet. The SAIC and he would tell Matt together.

Pete also arrived a bit early and grinning, motioned to Tim to bring Matt in. They sat down in Pete's office, Matt looking both curious and nervous. Pete reached over and patted him on the arm, "Relax, Matt, we hope this is good news for you. "

Matt took a breath and released it, making an obvious attempt to relax.

Pete smiled, "You know we're short a junior agent. With only four months into your probationary year, both our SFA and I feel you're doing a great job and have a lot of potential. We can't promote you to junior now, it wouldn't do you any favors, trust me, but here's our plan..."

The two men told Matt of the plan to bring in a TAD junior until he was through his probie year and ready to assume the junior position. They ended their explanation by adding the caveat that it was up to him, if he continued as well as he had and if he wanted to stay in the office, he'd have the job. Matt's head was spinning, he loved it here and hoped he was doing a good job but had been trying not to look too far ahead, knowing that he'd face reassignment at the end of his probationary term. Finally he was able to form a response and let his face do it for him. Pete and Tim smiled at the huge grin threatening to split Matt's face in half.

Pete chuckled, "I take it that you're happy?"

"Yes sir, yeah, this is…I never expected…" Matt drew himself up in his chair. "I'll continue to do my best and yes, if I earn the position I'd love to continue working in this office." The three men talked for a bit longer before Tim and Matt returned to their desks. The probationary agent went back to reviewing cold case files and the Senior Field Agent continued his work on their junior agent candidates. He fired off an e-mail to Major Fleming, the head of FLETC, with the seven names and a request for any additional information available to help their cause. He knew FLETC was currently in session and figured the earliest response he could hope for was sometime next week.

Since the day had been quiet so far, Tim decided to press his luck and treat everyone to lunch. He'd called Carla earlier in the hope that she could join them but found that although his new friend was in good spirits and feeling well, her doctors were insistent on strict bed rest. She did invite him over for coffee after his fitting this evening, quipping that "bed rest" included "couch resting". Tim thought he would show her the photos he'd taken last weekend as well as update her on everything in the office.

He'd asked Pete about lunch and he'd been fine with it, knowing Tim would have the food brought in. He'd made arrangements for Vosporos' to deliver a variety of entrees, salads and beverages. It was a bright sunshiny day and the table in the garden was big enough to fit all 6 of them, although Tim realized there were only four chairs. Slipping outside and poking around, he noticed a small shed at the far end of the garden that he hadn't noticed before, although to be fair it was covered in a wisteria vine and difficult to see. Finding his way through the woody vine, he shoved open the door and found more patio chairs. He took them out, ran the hose over them and then placed them at the table. That done, he headed back inside to get to work, thinking he was getting entirely too comfortable living here.

Returning to his desk, he saw his message light was blinking; it was his tailor, Archimedes confirming his fitting that evening and he quickly sent him a text. As he continued to think about their future junior agent, Tim decided he'd better start looking for his own place to live and a car of his own. He made a note to call Evander later and talk with Norm tonight. Then he settled back into cold cases. He was working on deciphering an agent's chicken-scratch case notes at the back of a file when the food arrived.

Lunch was delicious, relaxing and enjoyed by all. There were pitas with meat and without, souvlakis, Greek and pasta salads, something for everyone. Tea brought the phone outside with her and to everyone's relief it didn't ring a single time. After they'd eaten their fill, Pete and Tim packed up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator. The group sat in the sun for a while longer, enjoying their beverages before heading back into work. Tim thought it was funny that Pete was the last one in and then realized he'd done it on purpose. It had been a slow day and while there was always work to be done, he hadn't wanted to put any pressure on anyone to follow him inside. This was a whole new work ethic for Tim and while he'd already seen evidence of the team's readiness, it was nice not to have to keep up that breakneck pace and hours when they weren't needed. As Pete reminded him, the 'good luck fairy' was evidently still with them but when it left, there would be more than enough excitement.

As he slid into his desk chair, his phone chimed at him with the two reminders he'd set up. The first one was to talk with Norm about the car and Tim planned on doing that this evening. The second was to set up an appointment with Evander to look at apartments and possibly condos. He'd want two bedrooms although three would really be better. When Sarah and Rob visited, his sister would have her own room while Rob could share with him. However, if he had a third bedroom to use as an office, he could put a cot or fold out couch in there. He thought James might visit as the same time as his siblings, so then he could sleep in the office. He pulled out the card Evander had given him at Pete and Trina's party, called and left him a message that he was ready to look for apartments and possibly condos, 2 or 3 bedrooms, as close to the office as possible. He also said his best times for looking were weeknights, explaining they would be on call this weekend.

Immersed once again in cold case file reviews, the afternoon slid away. Matt brought his files over at 1600 and Tim took the time to look over Matt's findings. He was having him go through each file and make notes of anything that needed updating or that he had questions about. Tomorrow he would get starting on doing the actually updating. Tim had no idea if it was more or less efficient, he did think it would help keep Matt's interest active; Tim knew too well the frustration of not getting anywhere on a cold case and feeling like it was futile to even try. Evander called at nearly 1700 and said he had several places for Tim to look at, 3 apartments and 2 condos. They needed to get an early start however so Tim consented to Evander picking him up here at 15:30 on Wednesday, unless of course there was a case. Tim remembered that part of the transfer package when he'd moved from Norfolk to DC had been a reasonable amount of time off work to find someplace to live. New to Gibbs' team, he'd never considered taking advantage of it but he did remember it being in the transfer papers. Off the phone, he sent a quick e-mail to Pete who answered with, "Only if you bring me back a treat!" Tim chuckled and then realized he was laughing at work. Again! They laughed here, smiled and laughed. Vance was right, the atmosphere was really different, even with last week's case it had been different. He supposed one of the reasons was that Pete was happily married with a family, actually when he thought about it he and Matt were the only singles.

By 17:30, everyone but Tim had left for the day. He worked for a few minutes more and then packed it in for the night. He wandered out to the kitchen and looked in the cupboards and refrigerator at all his options and then realized he really wasn't very hungry. He grabbed a container of yogurt and some salad and sat at the table to eat. After he ate and brushed his teeth, he took the keys and locked everything up as he left the building for the short walk to the tailors. The tux would be finished by Thursday. Before he left, he told Archimedes he also wanted a suit and they looked over fabric swatches, finally picking a dark navy. Back at the office, he looped his finger in his jacket collar and scooped up the keys to an agency sedan and headed out again, this time to Carla and Norm's. He found it with no problem thanks to GPS, and smiled as he saw the "For Sale" sign in the window of the VW. Parked next to it was a brand new SUV; Tim didn't stop to see what make. He was happily greeted by first Norm and then Carla. He'd brought some cookies left from lunch and Carla greedily attacked them while Norm made coffee for Tim and an herbal tea for Carla.

Carla looked good and Tim was relieved to see she no longer looked as fatigued as she had last week. She showed him the latest sonogram of the babies and Tim pretended he could tell what was what. He did see, however, that there were three tiny bodies in the photo and looked up, surprised, as he thought they were having twins.

Carla grinned at him, "Yeah, we had somewhat the same looks on our faces when we first found out…Surprise!"

"Wow, that's incredible! Do you know the genders yet…hmm, can't really tell from this."

Norm laughed, "Either our kids are camera shy or they're playing games as they always seem to cover up the important bits!"

"Huh! Do you have names picked out? I guess that must be kind of hard to do, not knowing!"

"We figure we'll decide on three girls' names and three boys' names and then we'll use the surplus names as middle names."

Carla stage whispered to Norm, "Tim doesn't have a middle name."

"Wow, not even a confirmation name?"

Tim shook his head, "Never got confirmed. Don't know why no middle name, although my father's was Zebulon, don't know if that had something to do with it."

"That is a mouthful, but still, it's a middle name!"

Tim laughed, "I used to think I'd just pick one and use it when I was grown, but I got used to it and never bothered."

"If you did pick one, what would you pick?"

"Hmm, my father's name was Daniel, so that would be good although I'm not sure I like two long names, Timothy Daniel McGee. My other choice, just because I like the name, would be Sean. Timothy Sean McGee; has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Norm laughed while Carla nodded, "Yes that is nice, very Irish, not that anyone couldn't guess that by looking at you!"

"Wait until you meet my sister Sarah, she has almost olive skin and dark eyes; we don't look at all alike!"

"Really? I always thought siblings would have some resemblance."

"Not us! She looked like my dad and our brother Patrick. I guess I look like my mother." Carla smiled and changed the subject before Norm asked any questions about Tim 'guessing' he looked like his mother.

"So tell me about the gang, what's going on?" Tim filled them in on everything going on in the office, including the plan for Matt and the junior agent.

Carla's eyes lit up, "Ooh, that's wonderful Tim! So you get to train and influence two agents!"

Tim laughed, "Hadn't thought about it that way, but yeah, I guess so." After they'd thrashed out all the news from work, Tim turned to Norm. "I see you have the new car and the VW is for sale."

"Yep, want to buy it?"

"Actually I might."

"Wow, I was kidding!"

Tim grinned, "I know, but I do need a car and I'd rather buy from someone I know than from a dealer."

"You've thought about this."

"Yeah, when you picked me up for the party last week, you mentioned you were selling it and I was thinking I haven't had a convertible before. Thought Greece would be a fun place to try that."

"Tim, I'm blown away, well let me get you the fact sheet I wrote up, hang on." Norm hurried off to get that while Carla shook her head at Tim. "What did you drive in the States?"

"For the last 6 months I was there, I drove a very small very gas efficient car. I got that to replace a sports car that was my dream car, but too expensive at the time."

"Why at the time, weren't you at NCIS?"

Tim waited until Norm came back and sat down. "It's not in the portion of my file that you can see, but no, I wasn't. My teammates and I walked last May; we turned in our badges and weapons and quit NCIS."

Carla's mouth dropped open and she stared at Tim. "You were part of that thing…the witch hunt that was rumored to be going on in DC."

Tim nodded, "Yes and the reason for that, or the catalyst, is classified, so that's as much as I can say. Except that my kids still needed help with their schooling and something had to go, so the Porsche went."

Norm's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. "You had a Porsche? How…?"

Tim smiled, "I had a second job that paid very well."

Carla's eyes narrowed, "How on earth could you have a second job?"

Norm laughed, "He means a second income, hon. Something he could do on his own, I'll bet." Tim nodded. Norm looked at him and frowning, handed the fact sheet to Tim and left the room again.

Carla shrugged, "Don't know what that was about!" Tim smiled, he figured Norm was going to look for a book jacket or look him up on the Internet, although he didn't think the latter was likely, didn't seem like Norm to do that while he was still here.

He chuckled as the man came back with a book. "I don't keep many books these days, but I do have this series in hardback, I love the characters, I can just hear them in my head when I read the stories. It's like they're real people."

Tim winked at him, plucked the book from his hands, took a pen out of his pocket and signed the fly page, "To my new and good friends Norm and Carla, best of luck with your little ones, affectionately Thom E Gemcity".

He handed it to Carla who looked at the autograph and then at Tim. "Tim…you're…oh that's an anagram, isn't it?"

Norm roared with laughter, "Finds out you're a famous author and that's the first thing she says!"

"That's ok by me! I never know what to say when people figure it out."

"Does anyone else in the office know?"

"Pete knew before I got here and Matt figured it out last weekend."

"Not Kim? She loves these books too, borrowed them from us."

Tim laughed suddenly, "And Evander must have read them too. He started to figure it out at the party but backed off." He nodded, "Yes, I'm a writer and that's how I could afford a Porsche. I do ask that you keep this to yourself."

Norm had taken the book from Carla, "Absolutely and I'll never loan them out again. I'm kind of surprised Pete hasn't asked you for an autograph, he's the one that turned me onto these."

"Kind of a weird thing to ask the new guy, your new subordinate, isn't it? Hey, are you really someone I should get an autograph from?"

Norm made a face, "Oh yeah, you're right. So what do you think of the car facts? Want to test drive it?"

Tim nodded, "I sure do, but how about tomorrow or Thursday? I don't want to drive it for the first time at night."

"Oh, good point, I could bring it over to the office tomorrow at lunchtime, I'm picking up Carla's stuff."

Tim smacked himself on the forehead, "I'm an idiot, I'm so sorry! I should have brought it over tonight."

They laughed at him, telling him not to worry. It was getting a little late for Carla, so Tim and Norm set up a time for lunch the next day and Tim took his leave.

When Tim got home, he sat at the conference table and read the fact sheet on the car. It sounded good to him; it had been well maintained, got decent mileage and was under a warranty that would transfer to the new buyer. Suddenly he realized he had no idea what he needed to do to legally purchase the car. He decided to look it up in the morning; he was tired tonight and still needed to get in some practice.

* * *

Note: Thanks for the reads, follows, faves and reviews. I also want to give a shout out to skyjadeprincess for her suggestion of martial arts for Tim.


	18. Chapter 18

Finding Home

Chapter Eighteen

Norm arrived at the office at the agreed upon time on Wednesday. After a quick hello to everyone, he grabbed the box of Carla's personal belongings, grabbed Tim and they headed out for the test drive. Tim had gotten up before dawn that morning to do his purchasing research; he'd also mapped out a route he wanted to drive. He wanted to see how the car handled on steep hills and curves as well as acceleration on roads with higher speed limits. While he didn't expect the response of a Porsche, he did hope for some play. He'd also slipped out to the bank as it opened for a cashier's check for Norm, knowing that would be easier than waiting for a check to process.

The hill went well, there was no problem holding the speed and power and Tim liked the feel of the air on his skin as he rounded the curves. When he punched the button for power on the multi-lane roadway, the car responded nicely although he had to almost immediately slow down to accommodate other drivers. The brakes handled well and soon they were heading back to the office. Norm had given him a decent price and Tim was ready to buy. He'd input his information and as much of Norm and Carla's information as he had into the necessary forms before work that morning and printed them out. After returning from the test drive, the two men sat at the conference table and completed the paper work. They made copies and Tim gave him the cashier's check for the purchase price. Then he offered Norm a bite to eat since there was still food from Tuesday's lunch. They had a quick bite, prepared a paper plate of goodies to take home to Carla and made a quick call to Evander. Tim walked Norm to the door; he'd take the car home now, give it a good wash and after their apartment viewings this evening, Evander would drop Tim by the house to pick up the vehicle.

Tim grinned all afternoon, he'd have his own wheels and a convertible was going to be fun! Pete teased him about Carla's job and Carla's car and they laughed, Tim reflecting that he was genuinely amused by the tease, knowing it was an affectionate tease, that his boss was not mocking him as had happened so frequently in the past. Tim made a joke of his own, wondering if Norm and Carla were going to be selling their house and pretending to be thinking about it.

Evander arrived a little early but Pete waved them out of the office. Tim admitted to a certain excitement as he hadn't looked for a new home for more than 10 years and had a lot more knowledge and money now than he had then, a newly transferred probie agent transferring in from Norfolk where the three of them had lived in a furnished studio, the two kids still in school. Tony and Kate had made fun of Tim's small apartment in Silver Spring, but to the three McGees it had been a palace. While there had been room in the bedroom for all three to sleep, Sarah wanted privacy and slept quite comfortably on a rollaway bed purchased at a rummage sale, tucked between the bookshelves, enjoying her very own space after a childhood of sharing a tent and sometimes a sleeping bag with her brothers. Her 'room' was separated from the rest of the apartment by the solidly filled bookshelves while a pretty print sheet made a door for her. Every morning before she left for school, one of them would roll her bed into the bedroom, which Rob and Tim shared. All three siblings were thrilled when Tim won a king sized bed in a contest, but they kept the old bed in the closet for Geordie when he was home on leave. They ate at a small folding table they put up every morning and took down every night with three chairs that did double duty in the living room for watching the TV they'd bought at a thrift store. It was only after they'd been in DC for awhile and Tim's book had brought in money that he bought the large flat screen and upgraded from basic cable to a satellite provider.

Tim was thinking of those first days in the old place when they arrived at the first apartment. The building was on a hill about 20 minutes from the office which disappointed Tim as he'd hoped to be closer. Determined to be positive, he and Evander walked into the vacant apartment and he saw the view. The living room had a stunning view over the Aegean Sea and Tim could see a slice of the harbor. The apartment was older but looked to be in good shape, the kitchen had been updated; the floors were tiled throughout the place. There was a balcony off each of the two bedrooms. The larger bedroom had an en suite bath and nearly the same view as the living room. The second bedroom was tiny and with his desk and worktable in there, there wouldn't be room for a real bed or even a pull out couch; guests would have to sleep on either a rollaway, an inflatable bed or a pullout in the living room. Tim was not thrilled by the hall bathroom either and after asking the cost of monthly rent, Tim mentally crossed the place off the list. He understood the price reflected the spectacular view but he was more concerned about his family and friends being comfortable – and being closer to work. When Evander asked his opinion, he said just that. Evander smiled, telling him this place was the only one this far from the office, it had just come on the market that morning and he'd added it to the list, just to give Tim more choices. Tim liked that and they went on to the next place.

Along with the apartments, there were two condominiums that Evander was excited to show Tim. The second viewing was one of the condos. It was about 10 minutes away from the office and a 2 story building with only 2 units, separated by a staircase. Liking the idea of only sharing one wall which Evander said housed closets on both sides, Tim looked forward to seeing the place. They entered on the ground floor and Tim saw right away he'd have to bump up security for the door. The small entryway was tiled in a colorful pattern that almost looked like a carpet. The living area was bright and airy, with a view out to a lush side garden with shade trees. The dining area bordered the living area and the kitchen which was at the rear of the first floor. To the side of the dining area was a hallway that led to a decent sized den/ bedroom with a door into the downstairs bathroom. The bathroom also had a door that opened into the hallway. As the hall led from the dining area, it split off to the right and ended up in a laundry room that had a storage room attached, with a door to the backyard. The yard was split by a tall fence so that each condo had visual privacy. Tim thought the downstairs was fine, he wasn't particularly excited by it but he withheld judgment until he'd seen the upstairs. There were two bedrooms up there and one bathroom which had a door to each bedroom. The larger bedroom had a walk-in closet that Tim would never need although he did think about putting his writing desk in there. There were two windows but the room seemed dark. The other bedroom was a smaller version of the larger one and even darker. Overall, Tim felt the place would be ok but he wasn't prepared to purchase anything that was just ok.

It took them a few hours to see the rest of the dwellings. At the end, Tim thought two of the apartments would be fine if nothing else became available. Evander told him he now had a much better idea of what Tim was looking for and not to lose hope, that they would find a great place for him. Tim perked up with that and again when Evander dropped him at Carla and Norm's house to pick up his car. Norm heard Evander's car and came out to give Tim the keys and a notarized letter saying he had sold him the car. That would do until the paperwork was processed. Tim left the top down for his drive back to the office and once again enjoyed the open air. He put the top up when he parked it in the agency lot and attached the steering wheel lock that Norm insisted he take with the car.

Remembering the need to practice his martial arts' moves, Tim ran upstairs to change into his sweats, then back down and out to the garden to stretch and do his work. He had been doing the kick George taught him nearly every time he was alone in the last two days and felt he'd made good progress with it. He would see just how good tomorrow night. While he practiced, he wondered how Gibbs and Fornell were doing on their fishing trip. He'd had a very entertaining e-mail from Ducky waiting for him yesterday morning saying that Gibbs had purchased a laptop on Saturday and that his internet connection would be installed on Friday. Ducky also said that while Gibbs had been at Ducky's last Friday for their Skype chat, he'd happened to see Ducky's TV, a new one Tim had set up last summer. It was a midsize flat screen, attached to the wall and because the doctor had varying tastes in entertainment ranging from the Public Broadcasting channels to some of the wilder cable outlets, his service provider was a satellite system rather than conventional cable. Ducky reported that he'd had the Military Channel up on the screen when Gibbs arrived, that he'd been fascinated by it and was even more entranced when he was shown the Fishing Channel and the range of shows featuring woodworking. Ducky said apparently it had made a distinct impression because Jimmy reported that Gibbs had asked him to go TV shopping with him and the same satellite service would be at the house Friday. Ducky added that Gibbs had told Jimmy that Jackson was always complaining about his lack of modern TV shows when he visited and Jimmy had wisely just nodded.

An hour of practice was enough for Tim and he stretched again before heading in and locking up. Suddenly realizing he'd never eaten dinner and was starving, he grabbed the last of the leftovers and heated them in the microwave. He'd brought his tablet downstairs with him, so he sat at the table and ate while he caught up with the world.

XXX

Across the Atlantic, Gibbs and Fornell had just returned from their morning fishing and Tobias was fixing lunch, steak. They'd eat their catch of the day for dinner but for now, he wanted beef and he'd never known Jethro to turn down steak. They'd had a good time, at least hadn't killed each other and Tobias was feeling nicely relaxed. They'd head for home tomorrow as Jethro was suddenly having all kinds of electronics installed in his house on Friday. The FBI agent personally thought the whole situation with his friend's team was very sad but he was happy to hear that Jethro was starting to patch things up with both McGee and DiNozzo. He had listened patiently to Jethro all week and had offered advice when he had any. He was fond of both younger men, although he frequently found DiNozzo's methods bizarre to say the least. He admitted to a bias in McGee's favor but the young man had a slight advantage after having been very helpful with his daughter Emily's science and math school work. The girl had even won a science fair with the help of Agent Timothy McGee. He would miss working with them – and Ziva – and could only imagine how his friend felt about everything that had happened. Some days he wished they both could just walk away from their jobs but he didn't know what either of them would do with their time. There was only so much fishing a guy could do. He sighed, he needed more hobbies but who had time to find one when you lived the job? He looked outside and saw the threatened snow was finally starting to fall. The door swung open as Jethro brought a load of wood into the cabin. They'd spent an hour on Sunday stacking wood on the front porch, now it was being moved inside to avoid getting wet in the snow.

"Need a hand, Jethro?"

"Yeah sure, Tobs, as long as you don't burn the steak!"

"Funny man." He grabbed his jacket and headed back out to the front porch for a load of wood. They moved enough in for the rest of the day and evening and then Tobias returned to fixing lunch while Jethro built a fire.

"Hey Tobias, you ever used that Skype program I'm getting?"

"Yeah, Emily made me get it to talk to my old man in Florida. It's good, I can see how he's doing and not have to take his word for it. Diane has the program, talks with her friend Joy in Australia."

"So if I have any questions about it?"

"You can call Emily or Diane." Tobias looked at his friend, smirking. Jethro threw one of his gloves at him but he caught it and put it on the table.

"So you ready to go home?"

"Yeah, this has been good, man, but I'm looking forward to Friday and hopefully talking to Tim on Saturday."

"Why hopefully? I thought this was all set up between you two."

"It is but his team is back on rotation now, they're on call this weekend."

"How many teams are there?"

Jethro huffed, "It's not like DC, Tobias. There's one team but they share out of the area cases with the other European offices. So if there's a problem in Turkey for instance, it's assigned to them as that's their jurisdiction, if they need help, whichever of the other offices' is on call responds."

"Oh, so if there's a problem in the UK and they need help, Athens is on call, one or more of McGee's team could be sent to the UK?"

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, Tim says that both the London SAIC and his boss like the way it works. All the teams eventually work with each other, makes for a cohesive group that's spread pretty thin in Europe. Hey, do you remember Stan Burley?"

Tobias squinted, "Tall, before DiNozzo, had ulcers?"

"Yeah, that's him…he's been an Agent Afloat for over a decade but got married and applied for a transfer – he's the SAIC in Rota now."

"Ah, so Tim isn't totally bereft of Gibbsness in Europe!"

Jethro squinted at the word. "Gibbsness? That's worse than the Gibblets tag Abby made up years ago."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you very much." He set plates and cutlery on the table along with toasted garlic bread, a tiny salad he knew he'd be eating by himself, and the steaks. "Here, lunch is served. Eat hearty!"

The two men sat down to enjoy their meal.

XXX

Across the country near Seattle, Tony DiNozzo trudged through the mud behind the SFA, carrying the heavy gear to their crime scene and mentally cursing himself for every prank, every tease, every bullying anything he'd ever pulled on his former probie. He would do what it took to reclaim an SFA position but he figured he was stuck here for awhile. Luckily the SFA was kinder than he'd ever been and didn't rub his nose in it. Silently the man turned and grabbed one of the heavy cases. Tony tried not to grit his teeth. The man's kindness was almost harder to bear as that left him with nowhere to redirect his frustrations. He changed the subject in his head. He'd downloaded Skype and was just waiting for his former boss to return from a fishing trip with Fornell and get his internet stuff so they could chat. He thought that might happen Friday evening or Saturday, depending on how long it took to solve this case.

He'd mentioned it to his shrink who seemed pleased by the effort he'd made with Gibbs. Tony had raised the possibility of chatting with his former teammate but the doctor said he had a way to go before he would advise that. Tony realized it was a two way street, he could call Tim, but Tim had to be willing to speak with him. He sighed, wishing time machines really existed.

XXX

In Louisiana, Abby climbed out of her brother Luca's car and headed into his house after her job interview at LSU. She felt it had gone well; when asked about her departure from NCIS, she had managed to bury her flare of anger and respond with the words her employment counselor had recommended. The rest of the interview had been a piece of cake and she really hoped she'd get the job. She'd be doing some lab work but mostly she'd be teaching forensics. As she changed out of her interview suit, she wondered how Gibbs and Tony were. She wouldn't spare a thought for the hated bastard McGee but she was softening toward her silver haired fox and the former SFA. She figured McGee had used his evil influence with Vance to depose her Gibbs and her Tony. She hoped her former lover rotted in hell, blaming him for everything that had happened. She had tried to talk with Ducky about this but to her astonishment and dismay he'd been on Tim's side, trying to tell her she'd done things wrong, that they all had. That confused and angered her and now Ducky was on her bad list too, although she thought probably Tim had used his evil influence on him too. After her conversation with Ducky had failed, she'd tried to talk with Luca's parish priest but he hadn't been much help and advised her to pray for forgiveness rather than vengeance. She huffed at that and then looked at the papers she'd brought home from her alma mater, God she hoped she got this job!


	19. Chapter 19

Finding Home

Chapter Nineteen

While there was no new case on Thursday, Pete had word from Roger in Marseilles that they had a troublesome one that might need help from Athens and possibly the other offices. A Navy Lieutenant had been found murdered near the harbor and they'd found enough evidence to point to a fledgling drug cartel being responsible. Although they had dealers throughout Europe, Roger believed the cartel was small enough to break up. As of that day they'd found at least one other cartel territory in France, if they found additional, they'd need help. Currently the plan was to move in on every dealer linked to the cartel simultaneously, not only to bust the dealers but to flush out the leaders.

By the end of the business day Thursday, there had been no call to action although Pete warned them it could come at any time. Matt ran home and grabbed more clothes, thinking they might be away for a couple of days. As he had already planned to go to Tim's martial arts' class with him, he figured he'd just stay over. Tim was of two minds about canceling the class. From the update he'd heard on the conference call at 1700, Roger's team was still scrambling to gather and verify their intel. They could get the call tonight or it could roll over into Friday. He just wasn't sure he'd be able to concentrate on his moves or what George was teaching him. On the other hand, he'd better learn how to compartmentalize things or he wasn't going to have much of a life outside of work!

His mind made up, he told Pete where he and Matt would be, holding up his cell phone. Kim made sure she had Pete or Tim sign anything they might need in the next few days. The paychecks and paystubs were in the safe and Kim had the authority to hand those out, although everyone but Tim and Eva was on direct deposit. Tim's transfer check was also in the safe; Kim gave him both checks and he popped out to the bank to deposit them. She promised to let Evander know to save Tim a call. Pete sent an e-mail to the Mossad Director to reschedule their call. He left for home after the last update; the three men made plans to meet back at the office if they got the call out. Even so, when Tim got back from the bank, Matt put his go bag in the trunk of his car. They'd had decent sized lunches, knowing they couldn't have dinner until after the class and after Matt shut down for the night, Tim leaving his computer on in a secured mode, they walked over to Archimedes' shop and picked up Tim's tux.

Back at the office, they went out back and did their warm ups, stretching and running in place. Finally it was time and they climbed in Tim's car, top down, for the drive to the martial arts' studio. George was happy to include Matt and put him through his paces. Then he engaged Tim in practice and was pleased that he was able to defend using the new move. Matt had watched Tim practice and tried it himself. When he demonstrated it now, the instructor corrected his stance and told him he needed additional practice before he could defend. George was satisfied with Tim's level of practice and told Matt he expected the same from him. The time passed quickly and soon the two young men were bowing to their instructor and heading back to the office. Between Tim and Matt they had checked Tim's cell phone at least 20 times during their class but there had been no further word. Matt volunteered to get some dinner together while Tim checked his e-mail. There was a brief message stating that the case was on hold until the morning. There was a contingent of visiting government officials visiting the region and with the increased security they had decided the dealers and the cartel in general would be lying low tonight. Tim wondered if Ted or Jack had been contacted for information and he sent a quick e-mail to Pete. He was immediately pinged with an IM to go ahead and call them, see what information they might have. Pete's second IM said if this thing was bigger than Roger thought, they might need the CIA agents for extra manpower again. Tim agreed and immediately called Ted Edwards. Ted answered on the second ring, "Hey Tim."

"Hey Ted. Wanted to give you two a heads up, there's a case brewing in Marseilles that could involve us. It might grow big enough to need you two and if you have any intel that would be great."

"Is that the drug cartel that took out the Naval officer? "

"Yeah. Marseilles has the green light to take the cartel down and they're working to define their territory. How did you hear?"

"Briefing this evening, our posts in France were notified and we're automatically notified when it's an NCIS case." He paused, "I was going to call you or Pete but we don't like to stick our noses in unless you need us."

"Pretty sure if this thing gets any bigger and/or spills over into our jurisdiction, we'll need you."

"All right, we're officially on alert. Jack's working his contacts now to see what intel he can get and I'll get back on the phone with mine. We'll call you with whatever we get – how late will you be up?"

"Don't worry about waking me up Ted, I'm a fed, you know all the sleep I've been getting recently can't be healthy!"

Ted laughed at that, "That's a good one! Hey, I heard official congratulations are in order, although I'm sorry to see Carla leave."

"Yeah, us too and thanks!"

"You find a place to live yet?"

"No, started looking yesterday but nothing that grabbed me."

"Yeah, sometimes it takes awhile. Ok, one of us will call as soon as we know anything and if you need us tonight, let us know."

"Thanks and will do!"

Tim hung up feeling better about their available manpower for this operation and then chuckled at the difference in his attitude. A little over a week ago he hadn't even wanted to meet the CIA duo, now he was relieved they would be on board with them. Realizing that once they got moving on this they wouldn't be able to stop to let people know they were away, he sent a quick e-mail through the NCIS secured server to Jimmy and Ducky letting them know there was a case brewing and not to worry – or let Gibbs worry – if he went silent for a few days. Once again he'd forgotten the time difference and was surprised when he got a ping back from Jimmy. He said they had 'guests' coming in shortly and that he'd let Gibbs know when he saw him on Friday, and then told him to stay safe and wished him good luck.

Matt had dinner ready, so Tim headed into the kitchen. He hadn't noticed before, but someone, likely Kim or Tea, had left the large insulated zipper bag on the counter. He figured it was for their use if they got called out on a road trip. He chuckled to himself and nodded. "Hey Matt, how many away missions have you been on since you've been here?"

Matt laughed, "That's good. Pete's a Star Trek fan too. You haven't heard him say "Make it so" yet, have you?"

"No, I'd remember that!"

"Ok, let's see, Athens doesn't count, right?"

Tim nodded.

"Then Croatia, the Tuttle case in Thessaloniki, the McIntyre case on Crete, our case last week, that's four."

"Four away missions in four and a half months, wow!"

"It was really just the one outside of the country, although we flew to Crete."

"That's impressive, Pete wasn't kidding when he mentioned the good luck fairy, was he?"

Matt chuckled, "No, don't think so!"

"I think we'll add one more notch this week. My gut tells me we'll be moving out tomorrow." He paused, "How big were the other cases?"

"I was an observer for Croatia, happened my second week here – the junior was already gone. We had the assignment and Marseille sent their junior to work with Pete and Carla. It was really only unusual for the location. The Tuttle case was the following week and it was a little more exciting probably because I'd had another week of training so knew a little more about what was going on. Plus Carla was sick the whole time."

"Oh? Oh! She didn't know she was pregnant during Croatia?"

"Right."

"Yikes, glad that went smoothly."

"Yeah, that's what we said when we found out. The McIntyre case was a few weeks later and it was interesting. First of all it was on Crete – awesome and secondly it was Pete, me and then he called Jack Hughes in for help once we got there. Carla wasn't on desk duty yet but Pete didn't want her to be away from her own doctors. The suspect was in jail already so we were going for an interview and make nice with the PD so the eventual extradition would go well. But when we got there, we found the bust hadn't been handled properly and they'd had to let the guy go and of course he vanished! We got the LEOs to put a hold on all boats leaving the harbors but not every boat is anchored in a commercial berth. Luckily the guy gets seasick, like you, but he didn't know about the stuff you use and he didn't really know how to sail. We actually rescued him at sea just as the 30 ft sailboat he'd stolen was capsizing. He was so thankful he confessed to everything!"

"And then you got to stay the weekend."

"Huh, that's funny. No, my first embassy party was that weekend and while Pete said I could stay, I didn't think I should miss the party. I can go back to Crete anytime."

"And you made a good impression on your new boss."

Matt grinned, "Well, yeah, there was that too."

They finished their dinner; Tim put the dishes in the dishwasher and decided to run it. If he was home, he'd run it again on Sunday or Monday morning. He brought his laptop out to the kitchen and they watched an episode of a show both of them liked. After it was over, Tim decided to head up to bed, not knowing how much sleep they'd be getting tonight. As he put his foot on the first stair, his phone rang. It was Jack with the intel he and Ted had gathered; the information provided a new possible link that Marseilles hadn't disclosed, if they were even aware of it. After Jack hung up Tim decided to call Marseilles with it, figuring someone would still be there. The SAIC, Roger Martinez, answered and when Tim gave him the information, told him that was the link they'd been looking for. They would verify it and do more background but he thought they'd be ready to roll on this by 0700. After that call, Tim texted Pete and Jack with the expected call out time. He got acknowledgements from both men, along with an "attaboy" from Pete. Tim still felt funny about getting kudos from Pete, he wasn't used to it and really he was just doing his job. He just hoped his boss wasn't giving them because he knew of his prior situation. Then he gave himself a headslap for doubting Pete. He needed to be more accepting and to be truthful he did need to hear kudos now and then, how else was he to judge his performance?

Matt had gone back out to the car to get his go bag; after his diligence earlier he'd forgotten it when they came back from class. When he returned, Tim updated with the new information and the two decided that making it an early night really would be a smart thing to do. Tim still hadn't decided whether to let Rob and Sarah know, he knew they'd worry but they'd worry more if he wasn't around for their call on Saturday. Finally he bit the bullet and typed up a message on his tablet, letting them know something was on the verge of happening and not to worry if he couldn't make the call. He reminded them that Jimmy or Ducky would be able to find out what was going on and that if they couldn't reach them to call Kim, she'd volunteered her number when she heard about ' his kids'. He also let them know that he had additional resources to draw on here so it wouldn't just be his immediate team. He left the message in draft form, he'd send it out right as they deployed tomorrow. That would save them from worrying all day today and they'd sleep tonight..., well their night.

He was afraid he wouldn't sleep but the martial arts practice, the before warm ups and the after cool downs had given him sufficient exercise to let him sleep. He slept straight through til 0500 and then hopped up, made enough noise to wake Matt and put his running gear on. Downstairs he grabbed a banana and did some stretches, feeling like he was getting back into fighting shape after his little vacation from his fitness routine. Matt joined him in a couple of minutes and followed his own routine. Once they had warmed up, they took off for their run. It was early but there were a few other runners out and about.

Afterward, Tim took his shower and padded back downstairs to make a hearty breakfast for the two of them. By the time he was scrambling the eggs, Matt had joined him and they ate quietly. Tim made sure he answered any of Matt's questions about the operation as best he could and asked him a few more about the cases he'd been on. Not knowing whether they'd be operating around here or somewhere else in their jurisdiction or even flying to France, all they could do was conjecture. Tim figured if it was big enough, London and Rota would be in on it too. Breakfast finished, they washed their dishes and headed back upstairs to dress and make sure they had everything they needed in their go bags. Tim decided they should wear jeans and tee shirts today; knowing if they were going after drug dealers they'd need to blend in as much as possible. Matt asked about boots and Tim thought about it before he answered. "Probably not, I'm thinking neighborhoods in cities if we're going after the dealers. Don't take any expensive shoes though – don't want to stand out or ruin them." Matt nodded, he'd already found that out the hard way. They brought their go bags downstairs with them, leaving them behind their desks.

Pete arrived at 0630 with his go bag; he was dressed in jeans and a dark sweatshirt. Tim was not surprised when Kim came in five minutes later. He smiled when Ted and Jack walked in at 0645 with their bags. At 0655, the phone rang. It was Roger and they were on. There were two assignments, the team would be split. Two of them plus one CIA agent would fly to Bucharest, Romania where they'd be joined by an additional agent from the Central Intelligence Agency and the others would fly to Brindisi Italy. Once they reached their target cities, they'd position themselves and wait for the word. The dealers would be taken down simultaneously in the cities and countries they worked in.

All the European offices were involved and the sixteen team members had been split into two; altogether there were 8 teams which would be bolstered by the addition of one CIA agent per team. Athens was the only office with just two fully qualified agents and a probationary, so they would keep both their CIA agents and be joined in the operation by a third agent. Roger mandated that each team have someone who spoke the language.

As Tim spoke Italian and was a SFA, he was made Team Leader of the Brindisi operation. Neither Pete nor Matt spoke Romanian, but Ted did, so Ted would go to Bucharest with Pete and Matt. Jack would go with Tim to Brindisi where they would be joined by Laurel Miller from the London office. As the Marseille office had a double responsibility – taking down the local dealer/murderer of the Navy Lieutenant and the heads of the cartel, they had been split into two teams and would have additional CIA agents. The other target cities were scattered throughout Europe: Toulouse France, along with Marseille, Hamburg, Germany, Prague in the Czech Republic and Gdansk in Poland. Roger said that contact had been made with each country's government and they were clear for the operation. The local police would be on hand to take the dealers to lockup. Pete remarked after the call that the countries involved were probably just as happy that someone else was coming in to help clean up their streets. They were to learn later that at least six other Navy and Marine personnel had been attacked by the same cartel.

Pete was uneasy about not having his whole team with him, this would have been his first case with Tim, but he also saw a chance for his SFA to really shine in the operation. He was also curious to see the progress Matt had made over the last few weeks. The bonus of course was hearing that Laurel Miller was assigned to Tim's team, that would give Tim a chance to evaluate her, see if he thought she'd fit the team. He was relieved that Jack was going with Tim and that they had had the chance to work together last week.

Tim was focusing on the assignment and trying not to think about being split from the rest of his team. He'd wanted a chance to prove his worth, this was it. He just thought he'd be proving it to Pete, not the entire NCIS European population. He was looking forward to meeting and working with Laurel Miller and he was very happy that Jack would be with him on his team.

Kim was on the conference call with her agents; however once she'd heard their assignments she dropped off and got busy making plane reservations. By the time they got off the phone, she had flights lined up for them. The flight to Brindisi was scheduled to leave at 1200 and the flight to Bucharest at 1230, so they would ride to the airport in two cars. All of them carried their permits for their weapons and Tim had both his knives on him. The airport was crowded on a Friday morning but Kim had called ahead to the security office so they were discreetly led to a private area where they were searched and their permits examined. Tim had removed his backup weapon from his ankle holster and knives from his belt buckle and shoe before they left the car; while being searched he showed the security officer where they were normally kept. He was proud to see that Matt now also had a backup weapon and amused to see Pete, Ted and Jack removing their backups and Ted a knife from a holster on his calf. Tim hadn't thought Pete noticed his weapons but he got a pat on the back as they walked out to their gates.

They grabbed lunch together and then split for their gates. Tim put his best reassuring and confident face on when he saw Matt looking back at him. Jack patted him on the back. "They'll be fine, Pete will take care of Matt and Ted will take care of Pete."

Tim grinned, "Two weeks ago I couldn't even imagine this, but I'm damn glad you're with me!"

"That's good to hear, partner! You know I have my marching orders too."

"From Pete you mean?"

"Well yeah, Pete gave me the fish eye, but I meant my boss, he wants to recruit you, doesn't understand why you've turned down every offer the CIA has made you in favor of staying at NCIS, especially after…oops."

Tim gave him a look and Jack chuckled, "Ok, so that was semi-deliberate. Yeah, we got nosy but we didn't have to look far. You've had a very challenging life, Tim; I'm sure everything has left scars but you've also developed skills and accomplished more than most people would even think about. And I know your team at NCIS HQ has dealt with a fair number of us, but now you know we're not all psycho whack jobs."

Tim shrugged, "I'm good where I am, man. And yeah, you're right about my life; to tell you the truth, I was too busy trying to keep us alive – literally – to think about developing my weapons expertise or observation skills, although I still have trouble with that one. Anyway, feel free to tell your boss you tried!"

They boarded the plane and soon were in the air for their short flight to the southern coast of Italy, the heel of the boot that formed the country. Once they landed, Tim called Kim and was told Laurel's flight would be arriving in an hour. He was surprised until she told him the London contingent had flown to Marseille the night before. The two men spent the hour looking at maps of the city. They'd been given the coordinates of the drug dealer's territory so now they tried to work out the best way of tracking and busting him. They'd been sent photos and the guy's id but they'd still need to zero in on what street he was working.

They heard Laurel's flight arrival announced and they strolled over to the gate. She was in the middle of the pack of departing passengers and Tim wondered at that. Was she trying to be inconspicuous or had she not thought about the urgency of this operation? It probably wasn't a critical point as other teams had farther to travel, but it was one of those questions he couldn't help kicking at in his head. Anyone trained by Gibbs would be expected to be inconspicuous _and _first off the plane! Every minute counted, if the others were ready and they weren't that would be bad, he did not want his team to be any kind of stumbling block on this operation. Tim shook it off, he needed to focus on this and just get it done, stop evaluating the agent before he'd even met her.

However, he was still not impressed when she stood in the waiting area looking around. He and Jack were standing against a trash can, as pre-arranged and she had not yet looked over to them, even though she would have been shown photos of Tim.

He finally huffed and walked over to her. "Excuse me Miss, I believe you dropped this?" She blinked at him in confusion and finally seemed to realize who he was. She didn't however, reach out to take the brochure Tim had in his hand as a cover. He pushed it at her. "I do think you dropped this." She finally seemed to get it and took it and then followed Tim. Jack sauntered after them once he'd made sure nobody had paid any attention to Miller's odd actions.

Once they got into their rental car, she spoke. "I'm sorry, the flight was so turbulent I had to take a Dramamine and that has made me rather spacey. "

She reached her hand to Tim, "I'm obviously Laurel Miller and you're James Powell's friend Tim. And you are?" She turned to Jack. "Jack Hughes."

Tim knew he had to get his position stated right away. "Special Agent Miller, I am Special Agent Timothy McGee. As Senior Field Agent, I'm Lead on this op." She tried not to blanch as she realized she'd made another faux pas. "Yes of course."

"How long ago did you take the Dramamine?"

"An hour."

Tim sighed, that meant she would be impaired for the next 5 hours. He didn't have the luxury of time to take her aside and quietly explain her error in taking a Dramamine on the way to a covert operation.

"Agent Miller, have you taken Dramamine before?"

"Yes, I frequently have to on flights."

"And does it always affect you this way?"

"Yes."

"Did it not occur to you that by taking it you were jeopardizing our mission?"

"How so?"

"How long does the effect of the Dramamine last?"

"Well, it can only be taken…"

Tim cut her off, "How long?"

"About 6 hours."

"And do you suppose we'll get the signal to take our guy down within the next 5 hours?"

"I hope so. Oh, I see, I've made myself useless to you, haven't i?"

"Yes, you should have asked the flight attendant for a ginger ale or something."

"I do apologize, I didn't think."

Tim shook his head. "You'll stay with the car; I'm not risking any of us or the mission." He was furious but shook it off as he needed to rethink their strategy. For a brief second he thought of calling Pete and telling him to take her name off the list and the thought of doing that in the middle of this nearly made him laugh out loud. It was logistics he needed to worry about more than anything. Jack had the map out and they drove to a park outside but close to the dealer's territory and got out to stretch their legs. Miller stayed in the car and they figured she'd be asleep by the time they returned. Tim frowned.

"Can't leave her in the car, she's a sitting duck, at the least could attract attention. Let's find a hotel, get her into it and settled before we check in with Kim. "

To prevent the confusion of 8 teams checking in to one place, each team was contacting their own office manager as they reached their destination. That person would then contact the Marseille office. Once they had a go, however, the teams were to contact Marseille directly with their sitreps.

Jack agreed and they looked through the guidebook they'd purchased while waiting for Agent Miller. There was a Novatel two blocks from them and Jack said he'd stayed there before, the security was decent. They returned to the car and Jack woke the agent while Tim drove to the hotel. Jack stayed with the car while Tim took Laurel in and got them registered, telling the front desk clerk the truth about the Dramamine. The clerk nodded sympathetically and gave them a quiet room. Tim got the agent into the elevator where she slumped into his arms. He thought of one of Tony's favorite movies, "Weekend at Bernie's" as he tried to keep the woman upright and awake long enough to get her to the room. She roused with the ding of the elevator as it reached the floor they needed and was able to stumble along the corridor to the room. He got her into the room and let her flop onto the bed. He put her go bag down and took her shoes off. Taking one of the card keys, he pulled the door shut behind him. Hurrying back to the car, he was happy to see Jack in the driver's seat, now he could call Kim.

Her voice was controlled when he called and he realized she'd probably been worried. "Sorry, we have a bit of a situation here, our London agent took a Dramamine on the flight over; she's sleeping it off in a hotel room. Jack and I will handle this."

Kim decided she could freak out later. "Ok, Tim, I'll let them know you're on the ground and ready to roll. The teams have not yet landed at Gdansk or Hamburg, so it might be another hour."

"Ok, Kim thanks."

They drove to the park again however this time they parked on the other side of it and took their bottles of water, granola bars and fruit to a picnic table. Tim spread the map out, "All right…in all the drug busts I've been on, the dealer worked his way out from the center of his territory. That should put him right…here." He pointed to an intersection of two main roads. There was a college campus across one street and small stores and cafes on the other side. Jack nodded, "Yeah, I was thinking that too. And college campuses are a prime target for dealers. They'd be chased off the premises by security so they'd have to be nearby." They circled the streets they wanted to canvass and moved the car closer. Splitting up, they went to opposite ends of the street and entered cafés that had good views of the campus and the street fronting it. Tim spotted their dirtbag and texted Jack. Jack moved up the street and joined Tim. They waited, Tim nursing an Italian ice while Jack had an espresso. Finally Tim's phone chirped with a one word text: "Go!"


	20. Chapter 20

Finding Home

Chapter Twenty

In a quiet house in Virginia, a man abruptly stopped what he was doing and stood still in the middle of his living room. He had been preparing for service techs to invade his home, now he stood listening to his gut as it roiled. Something was happening with one of his kids and there was nothing he could do about it. His hands were fisted so tightly his short nails left marks on his palms; he turned toward the phone, only to stop again in defeat. There really was nothing he could do, except say a prayer and listen to his gut, hope he'd know when the danger had passed or been dealt with.

XXX

Tim left the cafe first and went right, crossing the street at the upper end and coming at the dealer from the north. Jack wandered out and turned left, crossing at the lower end of the street and coming at the guy from the south. Rather than approach him directly, they ignored him as they spotted each other. "Hey man, what are you doing here? I thought you were going home today?"

"Hey kiddo, that was fun last night, huh? Too bad, Christina got sick, too much grappa. We'll head out tomorrow." They met in front of the dealer who was clearly listening.

"Wow, I didn't realize she drank that much."

As Tim finished his sentence, he turned to the dealer as if he was going to include him in the conversation but instead said, "Carlo Monteleone, you're under arrest."

As surprised as the man was, he still managed to throw a move at him but Tim blocked it and they struggled until he miscalculated and took a blow to the stomach with what felt like an iron bar and while he was winded, was pinned down by the dirtbag. Before Jack could come to his rescue, he used his new move and the guy went down, heavily. Jack slapped the cuffs on him and kept a foot on the dirtbag while he helped Tim up. Tim flashed his badge to frightened passersby. They called the city police and a car arrived within 2 minutes. The officer had been briefed and thanked the two American agents for helping them rid the city of this slime. He and a backup searched the dealer and found plenty of evidence. They put the miscreant in the back of the squad car and took off.

Tim called in, "Special Agent McGee from Brindisi. We've arrested our target; he's on his way to local lockup."

"That's great, Agent McGee. Who's on your team?"

"Agent Jack Hughes."

"Isn't one of Joel's agents with you? "

"She became ill and is resting in a hotel room."

"So she was not on the actual takedown?"

"No, she was too ill to work and I didn't want to leave her in the car, so got her a room. We'll stay until she's well enough to travel, make sure she gets safely on the plane." He hoped his written report would be soon enough to break the news of the agent's mistake.

"Thank you Special Agent McGee – and thanks to our friend Agent Hughes." Jack just smiled. Tim heard other voices now and realized they were on a conference call as one by one the teams reported in. When he heard Pete's voice, he relaxed. By now they'd retrieved their car and moved back to the park. Sitting at the picnic table with no one but the two of them around, Tim put the phone on speaker so Jack could hear the other teams reporting in. Tim heard Joel's voice reporting from Hamburg and Stan's from Prague. Finally just one team remained to check in, the team responsible for taking down the heads of the cartel. There was silence for a full five minutes and then Roger spoke, "We have them, all three of them. I repeat, we have all three in custody."

There were cheers and then Tim's eyes widened as he heard a very familiar voice. "That's excellent work, all of you. You've not only cut the head off a criminal organization, you've destroyed the organization itself. Congratulations! And thanks to our friends for your help, it's been invaluable. "

Tim tensed as the Director paused, willing him not to single him out. "Special Agent McGee, I imagine the London SAIC will be very interested in your report."

"Yes sir."

"Good work, all of you. You can't see us, but there are several of us in MTAC quietly cheering your accomplishments today. Now…get yourselves home safely and relax over the weekend. Who's on call?"

Pete answered, "Athens, Director."

"Perhaps that can be changed since your Senior Field Agent is stuck in Italy watching over a sick taskforce member. Joel, how about it?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth, sir, I'm texting the office right now. Julian, Lydia, let me know when you're home."

"All right, Athens, you're off the hook, well when you get home you're off the hook!" Pete responded, "Thanks, my wife will be happy to hear that."

Tim smiled and then realized he needed to say something too. "And my real estate agent, thank you sir, Joel."

"That embassy party isn't this weekend is it?"

Pete chuckled, "No sir, not for another couple of weeks." Tim didn't know exactly why he was embarrassed that the Director knew about their next embassy party, but he was and he hoped that the man would not ask him if his tux was ready. Fortunately, one of the other callers had a question and that deflected the man's attention.

Finally the call was ended and he relaxed. He looked at Jack, "So, what do you want to do? I've never been here before. "

Jack laughed, "How about we check on Miller and then do some sightseeing?"

Tim shook his head, "Sure not what I expected to do today!" Then he smirked and raised five fingers to Jack, counting down. He'd just said "One" when his phone rang and they laughed, knowing without looking it was Pete.

"Hey Pete, how are you guys? What's Bucharest like?"

"We're fine, glad it's over; it's an old city, we're on the way back to the airport now. Now tell me about you. How are you and what really happened with Miller?"

"Jack and I are fine, just trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our day until Miller is well enough to travel."

"Really fine or playing tough guy fine."

Tim huffed, "Ok, I promise I will always tell you if I am not fine. But we are, really. A little discombulated now that the adrenalin's gone and we'd rather go home."

"Tim."

"Shouldn't I be telling Joel this first?"

"Oh he'll be calling, but they had to go check in with the Police Chief so I've got a few minutes and I want to know what happened with _my _Senior Field Agent."

"Yes sir." Tim told him the whole story, talking over the angry huffs from his boss.

"You did great handling that situation Tim and then the operation, I'm proud of you and I know the Director is too, he'll be even prouder, once he gets through being angry, when he hears the whole story."

"Thanks Pete. It was just common sense, really."

"Maybe for you but as you can see, not every agent is blessed with that."

Tim's phone beeped and Pete heard it.

"Got another call?"

"Yeah, it's Joel."

"Good, you tell him the same thing – all of it, Tim."

"Yes sir."

"And get home, tell him to send someone else to babysit Miller, I want you home and I'm sure the CIA doesn't need Jack hanging around Italy. Never mind, I'll tell Joel to send someone else, that's not something you want to do right now."

"Ok Pete, talk to you later, I'll keep you or Kim updated."

He clicked over to Joel. "Tim, you and your new friend are ok?" Tim laughed, "Just got through convincing Pete of that, Joel, yeah, he and I are fine, your junior agent, not so much. "

He proceeded to tell the story once again, this time having to stop and answer Joel's questions. He'd never seen or heard Joel angry but he heard the difference in his tone. He was surprised, however, when he was told that Joel's Senior Field Agent was on her way to Brindisi, in fact her flight was due to land in less than 15 minutes and Tim should expect a call from her once she was on the ground. Tim and Jack were sincerely thanked for taking care of Joel's errant agent and released from their babysitting duties. By the time Tim was off the phone, Jack had their flight home halfway booked. They had an hour before they needed to be at the airport, so they wandered along the waterfront, Tim buying postcards as he didn't think he'd come back here. The rest of Italy, sure, but right now he had no desire to visit this place again. They were on their way back when Tim's phone rang. It was the London SFA, Lydia, on her way in from the airport. They agreed to meet her in the lobby to hand over the card key.

The two men took their time getting back to the hotel, stopping to put the bag with Tim's postcards and a refrigerator magnet for Sarah in the car. They reached the lobby and Tim paced, not wanting to sit down. His gut was beginning to hurt and he knew if he looked he'd find a bruise. He was angry with himself for his miscalculation and Jack, seeing the look, figured it out. "Hey that could have happened to anyone, he knew his moves. He's a dirtbag, he's practiced at getting out of things."

"And I'm…who I am, I should be too."

"Man, you did great! You recovered and took him down."

He saw the eye roll and he chuckled, "What, did you forget you're human?"

Tim smiled at that, yeah, he was human and he made mistakes. He just hoped they'd always be as easy to recover from as this one had been.

"You starting to hurt?"

"Yeah, some."

"Put some ice on it when you get home."

Tim nodded, "Good idea."

"Word of advice?" Tim looked up. "Tell Pete about it. He'll be pissed if you don't. I know from my own experience with the man and I've seen him chew Carla out for not telling him about an injury."

Tim started to take a deep breath and winced. "Hey, you don't have a cracked rib, do you?"

Tim shook his head, "Don't think so, I'm just sore. I've just started a new martial arts class and our second session was last night. I think part of the soreness might be from that too."

Jack twisted his lips. "Ok, when we get back, you're going to let me look and maybe we go get an X-ray."

Tim opened his mouth to refuse and then remembered being hurt and no one doing anything to help him. He nodded and grinned. "Yeah, ok, if it'll make you feel better."

Jack opened his mouth to reply when a woman walked into the hotel. Tim realized he'd seen her in the office in London although they'd never been introduced. He wondered at that as he walked forward. "Tim McGee, thanks for coming down here to relieve us."

She pursed her lips and looked at him. "It wasn't my idea, believe me. What room?"

"Room 209, here's the key card." Tim started to hand it to her but she snatched it out of his hand. Tim raised an eyebrow but turned toward the front door, Jack right behind him.

The other agent commanded, "Wait. Who paid for the room?"

"I did. Agent Miller was asleep on her feet."

"Did they run it yet?"

"Probably not. There was no way I could know how long she'd need the room."

" I want to transfer it to my card so we won't have to pay you back."

Tim stood in the lobby and looked at her and her snotty attitude and decided to give it right back to her.

"That's fine since it's my personal credit card paying for _your_ agent, the one misguided enough to take a pharmaceutical before an operation. The one my partner and I had to take time from the entire mission schedule to get out of harm's way. So yeah, I'll be just as glad to have this hotel bill off my personal credit."

He stood straight, his eyes expressionless, face blank. Jack backed off thinking that now he knew what a pissed off Timothy McGee looked like. Without another word, Tim turned to the front desk and explained the situation in fluent Italian. The front desk clerk, who spoke perfect English, got that he was annoyed with the woman and it seemed like the snotty one didn't speak Italian. She liked this man, he'd obviously taken the time to help a sick co-worker; she answered him in Italian and took both cards. She quickly processed the return on his card, giving him a receipt and then stopped to watch him walk out with the older man. Nice ass, Mr. McGee, especially in those jeans. The bitchy woman cleared her throat and the clerk decided to have some more fun. She stopped to get herself a bottle of water and slowly taking the top off, took several sips, swallowing each one before asking the woman in Italian if she wanted anything. Then she returned to the card and took her sweet time with it.

Jack cleared his throat as they reached the car. "You know the clerk heard everything? From the look on her face, that agent might be at the front desk for awhile."

Tim shook his head, "What a piece of work. You ever seen her before?"

"No, but I've only worked with your office and Rota."

Tim nodded, "I think I'll ask Carla about her."

"You going to tell Pete?"

"Nah."

"You were in the London office before Athens, right?"

"Yep, for a month, working on an IT project."

"Huh, and you never met her?"

"No and I realized when she walked in that I'd seen her in the office, walked by her a few times, in fact I think she used to ride the same train from the office."

"Odd."

Tim snorted. "Ya think? Carla will tell me her story."

The drive to the airport seemed to take longer than the drive in but the traffic was moving swiftly. They turned in the rental, went through security with their weapons and permits and soon were in the air, on their way home.

By the time they landed, Tim was in a considerable amount of pain. Without saying a word, Jack took his gear, the car keys and drove them to Tzaneio General Hospital. While Tim waited to be seen, Jack persuaded him to call Pete. His cell went directly to voice mail so Tim left a message saying he had a bruise that had gotten more painful and told him where they were. That took enough out of him that he didn't want to make another call so Jack took his phone and called Kim, knowing she would be waiting to hear from both teams. He told her what was going on and Tim was trying to say a breathy hello when the nurse came for Tim. By that time, walking was more trouble than he wanted so he rode in a wheelchair to the exam area. When his shirt was removed, he was surprised to see that almost his entire abdomen and the lower portion of his chest were bruised. The nurse told him it looked like one big bruise. He was asked questions and he answered as best he could without divulging their operation. The nurse told him the doctor would be in as soon as he could but they were having a busy night. Tim lay back and tried to relax.

He was just drifting off to sleep when something poked him and he cried out in pain. A new voice apologized, "I am sorry, Mr. McGee, I just barely touched you." The voice turned away from him and Tim heard it ordering an immediate CT scan. Tim asked them to get his friend Jack from the waiting room and someone left, Tim heard footsteps. He sighed with relief when the curtain was pushed aside and a familiar voice spoke to him, "Tim, they're taking you for a CT scan. I'll be here." Tim nodded. It was Pete.

XXX

In the house in Virginia, the man's gut had relaxed over the last couple of hours and he'd let his shoulders stand down. It was midday when he felt another flare and knew someone was hurt. Now he'd have to wait again, either for the fire in his gut to subside again or…he pushed that thought away. Surely someone would tell him if it was bad.

* * *

"Mistakes are a fact of life  
It is the response to error that counts." Nikki Giovanni (b. 1943), U.S. poet.


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks as always to Harmonfreak1, my beta. Thanks also to everyone who's read, followed, fave'd and reviewed this story! I'm running behind answering reviews (again!) and hope you all would rather have new chapters, right?

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty-One

In DC, Vance turned from the screen as the call ended and faced a large part of his senior staff, one and all with big grins on their faces. "McGee?"

"Yes sir, he sounds great and he's a SFA - finally!"

"Ah yes, that's in the weekly update that I haven't...huh…updated yet!"

"Just this week and he handled his part of the operation today by himself?"

"Not quite by himself. He was lead and he had a CIA agent with him as backup."

"Leon!''

"We're stretched thin in Europe and they're a great help over there." He laughed at the expressions on the faces in front of him.

"Yes, I am well aware of our experiences here and believe me, Agent McGee voiced his own concerns. However, since Athens is still short an agent he called in the CIA cavalry last week for an out of town case. He had three suspects, a victim in the hospital who needed security 24/7 and only his probationary agent who hadn't yet done any guard duty, with him. The two resident spooks joined them and they followed his lead, just as they did today." Vance chuckled, "Changed Tim's mind, I'll tell you that!"

Ducky had slipped in late to the early morning staff meeting. "He just texted me that he's going to ask Pete to adopt Jack – that's the CIA agent who partnered with him on this operation."

Vance nodded proudly. "Good, I'm glad to hear he's seen the light. Now, I know we're all proud of him, but I still have concerns about his security. Direct order to all of you here: do not divulge that Special Agent McGee was involved in this nor should you tell anyone in any fashion where he's posted. Questions? No? Good, let's get back to our own work!"

He smiled at Ducky as they walked and patted him on the shoulder as he turned left outside of MTAC and Ducky turned right. Then the doctor stopped, turned and moved toward the Director. Vance sensed his movement and turned, "Question, Doctor?"

"Will this remain a classified operation, Director? I want to brag a bit about our boy."

"If it's to Gibbs, that's fine, he's still got his security clearance and Dr. Palmer is fine too, even DiNozzo I suppose. But if anyone is in touch with Ms. Sciuto they may not know McGee's whereabouts. And outside of NCIS, no, we don't want to give the defense attorneys any fodder."

Ducky nodded, "Thank you, Gibbs and Jimmy were just who I was considering."

"Have you spoken to DiNozzo?"

"Sadly no. He has been in contact with Jethro however and I take that as a positive sign."

"And Ms. Sciuto?"

"Yes but I'm afraid we've had a disagreement – she is still blaming Timothy for everything; she refuses to budge from her stance."

"Is she still in Louisiana?"

"Yes."

"Good. As long as she's there, doesn't know where McGee is and doesn't track McGee electronically, I'm not worried." Ducky nodded, shocked by the idea of the Director being worried about Abigail, and the two continued to their respective offices. On automatic pilot, Ducky filled his electric kettle and turned it on for a cup of tea. He'd never considered the idea of Abby being dangerous to Tim but now the idea had been planted. If she continued her diatribes against Timothy, he'd have to do something, tell someone. Even though Tim was thousands of miles away, she could find him electronically. He suddenly understood why no one had known until today where Tim was posted, why he was no longer listed on the NCIS employee list and why Vance had given the direct order. Was Abigail so deeply in denial that she'd become this…unhinged? He must have said it aloud because Jimmy gave him an answer, "Doctor Mallard, where Tim and Gibbs are concerned, Abby has always been unhinged. Alternating between loving and hating Tim and worshipping Gibbs no matter what he did, what he said."

Ducky looked up at his fellow Medical Examiner, startled. "You're describing someone with a personality disorder."

Jimmy nodded. "Did her work well though."

"Jimmy, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because until Tim left, until he told us everything before he left, you were part of the "protect Abby at all costs" group. Either Tim or I saying any of it before this would have ruined our relationships with you and Gibbs would have denied everything anyway, he would have found a way to save her job. And…Tim didn't want me to."

"He didn't trust me?"

"Let's just say he wasn't willing to put that trust to a test and he didn't want me stuck in the middle, nor did he want me to lose your affection."

"Jimmy, I…I don't know what to say. I've been so angry with Jethro and now I find I'm to blame as well. He couldn't trust me, you couldn't trust me. My dear boy."

Ducky felt the weight of the world descending onto his shoulders and then the strong arms of Dr. Jimmy Palmer wrapped around him. "I'm still here, you're still here, Tim's safe and happy, Gibbs is working toward understanding, please, don't do this to yourself. I should never have said anything."

"NO, Jimmy, that would be a thousand times worse. Oh my poor boys!" Jimmy gently helped Ducky over to the couch and then made two cups of tea. They sat in an awkward silence, drinking their tea.

Upstairs, Vance thought about what he'd said to his elderly Medical Examiner and realized he'd probably shocked the man. He headed to autopsy to explain to the doctor and was saddened but not surprised to find him huddled on the couch, Dr. Palmer beside him. The door was open so he poked his head in. "Doctors, may I join you?" Jimmy nodded and he slipped in. "Dr. Mallard, I apologize for being so…cold about Ms. Sciuto. I think the person you see is far different from the one I see."

"Director, I didn't think you were cold, but it did hit me like a pitcher of ice water. I've believed Abigail Sciuto to be misguided, not outright dangerous but Jimmy has told me I've been as blind as Jethro was."

Ducky looked up at the Director, "Has Timothy really had no one to turn to?" He half turned toward Jimmy, "No one in authority who could help him?"

Vance answered, "Until I came here, he had the other Team Leaders although it was from a distance. Before he left, he told me that years ago, during Shepard's tenure, he'd come in and find little notes on his desk that he'd done a good job with such and such or a cup of coffee or treat, or he'd be invited to join in another team's drinks after work or weekend barbecue. It was very subtle and kept very quiet; Carter, O'Brien and the others knew Tim would be the one who'd take the brunt of Gibbs' anger and DiNozzo's bullying if either one found out. When I got here and moved him to Cybercrimes, I saw how much he hated it, felt like he was being punished but the truth was he was doing a great job down there. When I was persuaded to move him back onto Gibbs' team, I promised myself I'd protect him – and get him out of there. And I tried, several times, but he was never ready. He's pretty stubborn as I'm sure you know and in the end it needed to be his decision. In the meantime, he had me and the other Team Leaders in his corner. But until he was ready to go, he would never speak of either his misery on Gibbs' team or his mistreatment by Ms. Sciuto."

"He didn't want to displease Jethro any further." Ducky looked up to see two sad faces, "Or me…oh dear."

Jimmy spoke up now, "There was a big difference in how he saw Gibbs and how he saw you, Dr. Mallard. From Gibbs he felt disrespect, anger and dislike; he never understood why Gibbs had selected him for his team when he so obviously disliked him and he never knew why, still doesn't. From you, he felt affection and understanding, as long as he never spoke of his problems with Abby."

"So I offered him conditional love and because it had been so many years since he'd experienced any kind of parental or familial love besides his siblings - that was enough for him?" Jimmy looked at the Director, not sure how to say what he needed to but he opened his mouth anyway. "Ducky, Tim loves you and he is confident in your love. You've been there for him more than anyone else in his life, ever. He told me once that he raised two kids and understood how difficult it was to avoid having favorites and he never faulted you for that, you may have given Abby more attention, but you never rejected him."

Vance shook his head, "That's not true, Dr. Palmer, not if we are being brutally honest here. There were two occasions when Tim was not given the support he needed from you, Doctor. When that damn dog mauled him and when he was ordered to step into that hazmat hot tub. None of you, including you Dr. Palmer, gave him the slightest bit of support." Vance continued, "I asked him about that and he said you were both human, that you'd made mistakes, just as he had. You made a couple of mistakes with him, however and this is a big however, he knew you cared about him. He already knew that, so he also was able to accept that you'd made a mistake, the both of you and he never held it against you."

Jimmy raised his head, "I…don't understand."

"Simply put, Dr. Palmer, your friendship with him and everything you've ever done for him far outweighed your mistake. Dr. Mallard, same with you. You can forgive a hurt or slight if you know the person loves you, if they've been supportive in the past. You just chalk it up to being human; we all are, you know."

Ducky sat up straighter, putting his hand on Jimmy's back, "We shall work on forgiving ourselves then; who are we to question Timothy's heart? I am still concerned about Abigail, Director do you think she is a threat to him?"

"I think she needs help, Dr. Mallard, professional help and my hands have been tied as far as suggesting it to her." He paused, "I do think she's capable of doing something irrational to injure Tim. But as her former employer, there is nothing I can do except to keep tabs on her and keep Tim's whereabouts as quiet as possible. I'm afraid today didn't help that much. If either of you hear or see anything from her that is in the slightest bit threatening toward him or anyone at NCIS, let me know immediately; he's a federal agent, any threats will bring the FBI down on her head."

Both doctors agreed and the Director left for his next appearance on the Hill. They looked at each other. Ducky said, "I think I'll plan to be at Gibbs' with you this evening, Jimmy."

"Thank you, Doctor. I wasn't planning on bringing up any of this but you know how nervous I am around him."

XXX

Tony walked into his office that morning to find it abuzz about some big thing going on in Europe. Curious, he watched the ZNN news headlines about the "little agency that could", talking about how one of the smallest ArmFed agencies had taken out an entire cartel spread throughout several countries in Europe. He wondered if his former teammate might have been involved and waited to hear if there had been casualties, relieved when none were mentioned. He watched an interview with Director Vance before he settled in at his desk, finishing his reports on the case they'd cracked. In the back of his mind he was going over what he knew of the European offices; there were only four and they each had a team comprised of three agents, four if there was a probie. He thought London might have additional agents, but he wasn't sure. Wanting to send Tim a message congratulating him, he typed in his name and then remembered he didn't have his new e-mail address, although if it all went through the NCIS servers, why did he need a new e-mail address? Before he could stop and think about it, he sent Ducky an e-mail with a note for Tim, asking him to forward it. It was simple, a congratulations on the big takedown, that he'd seen it on ZNN out here on the West Coast. He hit the Send button quickly so he wouldn't have time to talk himself out of reaching out to McG…Tim.

XXX

Tim knew he'd had a scan, he remembered being moved down the hall for it, but that was the extent of his memory. When he awoke, he was in a bed in a white room and he knew he'd been admitted. He closed his eyes again, sighing and then winced with the pain. Something stirred nearby and he tensed. "Relax, Tim, it's just me."

He turned his head and saw Pete sitting next to the bed. "Hi Pete, how long you been here?"

Pete shrugged, "A few hours. They took you for the CT scan and then admitted you; you've been asleep for about an hour."

"Jack go home?"

"Yeah, I sent him home."

"He tell you what happened? I screwed up…but I didn't think it was more than a bruise."

"That's what he said too, not that you screwed up, but that you'd both thought it was just a throw. The doctor hasn't been in yet, so maybe this is just a really bad bruise."

Tim laughed and then winced again, "Hope so! Although if it is it's the worst one I've ever had and I had a lot of bruises when I was a kid. This hurts like hell."

"Yeah, looks like hell too."

"Matt ok?"

"Yeah, worried of course."

"How he'd do on the op? Great, right?"

Pete chuckled, "Yes, my Senior Field Agent, he did great and you're right, he's got a lot of potential. He might even be the next you."

Tim smiled, "Can't be, I'm not done being me!"

"Jack told me about Lydia's attitude and how you stood up to her."

"Yeah, was gonna ask Carla."

"I'm only conjecturing but I have a theory."

Tim cocked an eyebrow at his Team Leader who smiled and continued, "I wonder if she wanted to move out here, take Carla's place."

Tim nodded. "I wondered if they were friends and she resented me for taking Carla's job."

"Hey, Carla has been happy since she heard your name and you know she approves of you taking the job, hell man, she sold you her car; she likes you!"

"Not worried about Carla. Lydia could have formed her own opinion. When she walked into that hotel lobby, I realized I'd seen her nearly every day at the London office, even on the train once in a while. I would nod at her but she never reciprocated, never said a word. And that's not good, Pete, I need to fix that because sooner or later we're going to have to work together."

"While I'm sure she'd be a professional on the job, Tim, you're right." Tim thought about Ziva nearly killing him in the MCRT van when she was angry with him about the book. While he trusted his new teammates with his life, he realized he still could not automatically trust another agent.

"I'll call Joel on Monday, Tim, talk to him about it."

"No no, Pete, this is personal, I'll talk with her."

A woman walked into the room then and introduced herself as Dr. Eleni Pappas. "Mr. McGee, I usually only speak with the patient and perhaps his family."

"Pete is my family, Doctor; I'm fine with him staying."

"Very well then. I have good news. There is no organ damage, no internal bleeding. There is some internal bruising but it is light, not enough to cause concern. I understand that you are in pain and now that we know there is no bleeding, no internal injury, we can give you something for the pain. I'm going to keep you here overnight just for observation; you can go home in the morning."

Tim smiled, that was good news. And then Pete just had to ask, "Doctor, what about restrictions? We're in law enforcement, we get sent out on calls, have to chase bad guys, take them down…in fact that's how this happened."

The doctor nodded. "I read between the lines of Mr. McGee's account of how he was injured. He will be sore for a few days but once the soreness has passed he can resume his normal duties. His muscles are in good shape, I would say he should be recovered enough by Tuesday or Wednesday, IF he takes it easy between now and then."

Tim looked at her, "What do I need to do?"

"Tomorrow once you get home, you rest. In bed and only up to use the toilet or to eat."

"Stairs?"

"Do you need to climb stairs to get to your home or your bed?"

"Yes, both."

"You may climb them once tomorrow and twice on Sunday."

She paused. "You should apply cold compresses to your abdomen every day, 20 minutes – no more, at a time. Twenty on, forty minutes off while you are awake."

Pete shook his head. "If he doesn't do stairs tomorrow, Doctor, does that mean once on Sunday or can he just go ahead and do twice on Sunday."

"Twice will be fine on Sunday."

"And then he can do desk work on Monday and Tuesday?"

"Yes, although he will likely be recovered enough to go out after the bad guys on Tuesday. Now, Mr. McGee, I will write a prescription for you for some pain pills with a descending dosage. More tomorrow, a few less on Sunday, etc. Tonight we will give you a shot for the pain and it will be enough to let you sleep through the night."

The doctor patted him on his foot as she left the room. Pete looked at his agent. "Ok, so here's the plan and it is not negotiable. You are coming home with me tomorrow morning and staying until Sunday. We have a bedroom downstairs, we will feed you and Trina will fuss over you, deal with it. On Sunday, IF you behave yourself, I'll bring you back to the office after lunch. That way I'll know you've had at least two meals that day. And maybe Matt…"

"No Pete, he doesn't need to stay with me again, it's his weekend, let him enjoy it."

"We'll see. I think he's going to be pretty unhappy if he doesn't get to help."

Tim sighed and looked away. "This is hard. I'm not used to having people take care of me, well Sarah and Rob if I needed them."

"And I imagine you managed to rarely if ever 'need' them. People like to help, Tim and you'd better get used to it, buddy, because you're part of this family now!"

Tim nodded. "I'll need some stuff from my room. I have a couple of Skype calls tomorrow night, one with my little brother who's flying to London on Sunday; the other one is with Gibbs."

"Didn't you talk with him last weekend?"

Tim smiled, "Last Friday. I'd asked him to sit in on one of my calls with Ducky so he could see what Skype looked like…he's pretty much a technophobe, still has a black and white TV and no cable. Anyway, he really liked being able to see me and he's getting internet service today. I had one of the Cybercrimes guys recommend a basic laptop and Jimmy, that's Jimmy Palmer, the second M.E. in DC, went with him to buy it. He's downloading Skype for him today so we can talk tomorrow."

"You working things out with him?"

"Sort of, we've got a long way to go, but we're talking. " Tim huffed and then decided not to do that for a few days. "We've talked more in the last two weeks than we did in 10 years, aside from work stuff."

"Wow Tim."

"Yeah. It took me leaving to get him to listen to me. Took me telling him how great it was here, how I felt welcomed and respected instead of bullied, ignored and disrespected – I think he started to get it. Or maybe it was when I said everybody worked and there weren't any pranks or crap like superglue on my keyboard."

Pete's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Superglue…please tell me that person was fired."

"Demoted several years later."

"Your SFA…I'm not sure I want you talking with them, Tim."

"Have to, Pete, I need to heal too and part of that is working through stuff with them or at least with Gibbs, after he figures out why he did what he did and why he allowed the others to do what they did."

"Sounds like bratty children who all needed disciplining."

"They needed something, that's for sure."

"Must be more that that though. Vance has you listed on the employee directory under an alias and your e-mail address is another alias."

"Yeah, it's another name and that name is also entered on the employee list. And my alias has an e-mail address, so there are two sets of false names but one for the directory and the other for e-mail. That's mostly because of a crazy forensic tech who lost her job after I left. Part of it was due to her actions toward me and the Director is worried she's vindictive enough to come after me, either physically or electronically."

"Do you agree with that, Tim?"

"Yes, unfortunately. From what I've been told, she's gone over the edge. The thing to keep in mind, Pete, with all this crap, is that I'm not there anymore; it's not on my mind a whole lot these days. I'm here. When I talk with Ducky and Gibbs, sure, but not much in between. I left and now I'm here and as you've said, now I'm part of this family." Pete beamed, glad to hear that and sure that as the days and weeks went on, Tim would settle even deeper into his new life here.

The two men talked for a few more minutes and then the nurse came in with Tim's shot. Pete stayed until Tim had drifted off to sleep and then he headed for home. He had Tim's personal effects with him and he thought about looking up Dr. Mallard's number and calling to let him know Tim was injured. But what good would that do, he was going to be fine, only staying overnight for observation and Tim would speak with Gibbs tomorrow. He decided to talk with Trina about this, he was used to relatives and spouses, not a chosen family who were not related by either blood or marriage, he was uncertain as to his responsibilities. Although Dr. Mallard had called him before Tim arrived, that was certainly a sign of a strong familial relationship. His mind made up, he arrived home and walked into the welcoming arms of his wife. His children had been sent to bed hours ago once he'd called to tell them he had landed and was on his way to see his injured agent. It was now nearly 0130, but hearing the car his kids came tumbling down the stairs as they always did, happy to have him home. He hugged and kissed them all and then sent them back to sleep. He told Trina about Tim and she agreed he should call Ducky. As the takedown had been on all the news channels here, she thought there was a possibility that news of Tim's injury would get out. Pete sighed, that also meant he had to call Vance. Resigning himself to another hour before he could sleep, he first called his boss, who was understandably upset. He calmed down when Pete pointed out that it was Tim's miscalculation, a simple mistake, that had led to the injury and that he was sure the young man would prefer no one make a big deal out of it. Vance agreed and then said he would contact the McGee siblings and Dr. Mallard. Once he hung up, he dragged himself upstairs to bed.

XXX

Gibbs' gut didn't calm down until late afternoon, after the internet guys were gone. Whatever had happened, it was all right now. He took a deep breath and turned to the coffeemaker.

* * *

A/N: 7:03 PM Thursday, Feb. 13th: I've just learned that Ralph Waite has died. Our beloved Jackson Gibbs; for me, he was first beloved as John Walton Sr. All I can do is thank God for the gift he brought to us in his warm and realistic portrayals. I'm glad I live in an age where beloved characters live on in film and the digital world long after the actors who brought them to us have passed. Godspeed and RIP, Mr. Waite - and thank you!


	22. Chapter 22

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Two

Pete didn't wake until nearly 0800 the next morning. He called the hospital and because Tim's medical forms had been faxed to the hospital, the charge nurse on Tim's floor was able to tell him that their patient had had a restful night and would be discharged around 1100. Pete took a shower, dressed and walked downstairs to see his family and have breakfast. He had only been away for a day but the flight to and from Bucharest, the takedown, hearing the unexpected news about Tim and his vigil at the hospital all conspired to have made the day seem more like a week.

He enjoyed a hearty breakfast with the whole tribe and then he left, taking the family 'wagon' as they called their minivan so Tim would be more comfortable. He first went to the office to grab Tim's laptop; he'd had his go bag with him on the trip so there was no need to hunt for clothes. From there he drove over to the hospital and found Tim signing the papers for his discharge.

"Hey Pete, gre't timin'!"

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Bet'r…ya know pain pills."

"As well as a good night's sleep I hear."

"Yup, that too. Matt's here, he came in to hav' breakfas' with me, he'sh gone to the pha'macy to get m' pain pillss."

"Ok, we'll wait for him then. I have your laptop."

"Oh tha'ks man! I have callss tonight, oh…I shoulda called th' sibs, they'll be ang… angr…mad."

Pete laughed. It seemed the pain medication was having an effect on Tim. "Vance called them."

"Huh, how'd he know?" Tim leaned forward, "Di' you call him?"

"Yep Tim, part of my job."

"Ok, that's coo' man."

"How long ago did you take that pain med Tim?"

"Uh…right befor' you got here Boss… ah mean Pete. Oh man, he's gonna freak."

"Who?"

"Gibbss."

"Vance will call Dr. Mallard today, let him know, he can tell Gibbs."

"Ok, be prepa'ed, he mi' call you."

"That's ok, I'm not afraid of that badass Marine! I'm Navy, you know!"

"Oh yeah…no I din't know that…uh Pete, I nee' ta sit down."

"Yep, that's a good idea, Tim. Here comes the orderly with a wheelchair."

"Oooh, ge' 'nother one, we c'uld have whe'lchair racess." Pete and the orderly helped Tim sit in the chair. He leaned back and then forward again. "A'wayss though' be fun… ex'ept I always feel so crappy in hosp'al."

"Well if you felt good, you wouldn't be in the hospital."

Tim squinted at his friend. "You'r righ'…you 'r a smar' man, Pe' Russssell."

"Thank you Tim McGee." Looking up, Pete saw that Matt had returned from the pharmacy and was staring wide eyed at Tim. "He's ok, Matt, sometimes pain meds affect people this way."

"Ok Pete, that's good to know. Uh, here are his pills and the instructions."

Matt hesitated and Pete thought he knew what was on his mind.

"If all goes well today, Matt, I'm going to bring him back to his room early tomorrow afternoon. Would you want to hang out with him then?"

The young man nodded. "Yeah I would, if that's ok. I could get him dinner and stay over, make sure he's ok."

"If you want to, Matt, don't feel like you have to. And Tim might have something to say about it, he's worried about you losing your weekend."

Matt gave Pete a smile, "Nah, that's ok, I was just going to hang out anyway, I'm kind of tired after yesterday. And I want to help Tim, Pete."

"Ok that's great, son. I'm tired from yesterday too, I think it was the flight back and forth, we're not used to doing that in one day!"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that, makes sense."

Tim's paperwork was finally done and Matt took his bag while Pete pushed the wheelchair out to the entrance. Matt stayed with Tim while Pete got the 'wagon' and they helped Tim into the front seat. The go bag went in the back and Matt headed for his own car while Pete and Tim drove off.

Tim was asleep by the time they turned out of the hospital parking lot and didn't stir as Pete pulled the wagon as close to the front door of his house as possible. He was surprised when he saw Stephan and Lukas out front with a wheelchair. He'd forgotten they had it – his mother had broken her ankle one year while visiting and they'd found the wheelchair at a flea market. Trina had used it a few times when she was pregnant with Kyra. He was glad someone had thought of it today. He motioned to Stephan and he pushed the chair over to the passenger side door, Lukas trailing behind him.

"Thanks guys, this is thoughtful of you. I'm going to try to wake him up, but he just took a pain pill so he'll probably be pretty groggy and might be a little silly. If I can't wake him up, Stephan maybe you can help me get him into the chair. Lukas, if you'll set the brakes on the chair and hang onto it that would be very helpful. Ok, here we go."

Pete opened the passenger door and gently tapped Tim on the face, "Wake up Tim, we're home." Tim was having a very nice dream. He and his dad were out for a drive in their station wagon, now they were home and Patrick and Sarah were waiting for him. His dad was telling him to wake up and he knew he had to because he was too old for his dad to have to carry him. But he was enjoying being with his dad and he didn't want the dream to end. However the sun was shining on his face and he opened his eyes and his dad, brother and sister vanished to be replaced by Pete and his two sons with a wheelchair. Swallowing his reaction to the dream, he gave them a tired smile and knowing it was important, moved himself from the car to the chair, with Pete hovering close by. It was nice they were taking him in, that felt good. Not as good as seeing his dad and brother again, but good.

He accepted the ride into the house in the chair but then insisted on walking once they were inside. His muscles would atrophy if he rode around in a chair and his injuries were not all that bad, more painful than damaging and the pain med was taking very good care of that, thank you very much. He smiled at Trina and the girls when they appeared, and thanked the boys for their help. He was still feeling a little loopy but now he recognized it so he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to make an idiot out of himself.

Pete and Trina walked him into 'his' room, Pete helping him to sit on the bed, back against the headboard and his legs stretched out. He sighed in relief, other than laying down flat this was the most comfortable position. He kicked one shoe off and had to bite back the surge of pain that caused.

Trina shook her head at him. "Bet that didn't feel too good, did it?"

Tim shook his head. She sat on the end of the bed and took his other shoe off. "If you're anything like Pete, you're going to hate anyone taking care of you. It's just for one day, Tim but if you don't let us help you and you overdo things, it could be more than just one day, understand?"

Tim nodded, not having the energy to argue with her and he thought that would probably be a pretty bad idea anyway.

"Honestly, what did you do when you were growing up and you were hurt? Did you never let your mother help you?"

Pete's eyes widened and Tim shook his head, "Didn't have one."

"Oh yes you did, everyone has a mother."

"She died when I was a baby."

"Oh my god, Tim, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

Trina backed away, obviously upset. Tim looked at her, "You can't miss what you never knew you had. Don't worry about it Trina, please."

"I hope your father took good care of you then." Tim looked at Pete who cocked an eyebrow and Tim nodded his ok. There wasn't any reason to keep any of this secret anymore. For years he had kept it all to himself so he could be an NCIS agent and not a homeless orphan or someone who'd lived on the street and almost as importantly to keep DiNozzo off his back. Now it was only a matter of privacy and he trusted Pete and wanted to trust Trina.

Pete gently grabbed his wife's arm. "C'mon with me, love. Tim would like to sleep now." Tim gave them a genuine smile and once the door was closed, crawled under the comforter and got as comfortable as he could. As he drifted off to sleep he hoped he'd dream of his dad again, he hadn't seen him in a really long time.

XXX

When Vance got off the call with Pete on Friday, he sat quietly in his office for awhile. He trusted that Pete had told him the truth, that Tim's injury was more painful than debilitating and that he'd be back to work on Monday, ready for the field before the end of the week. That wasn't really the point. It was that as Director he'd given Roger the green light to take every single agent they had in Europe and put them on an operation that could have proved deadly. That it was a success almost didn't matter. It was his hatred of the cartels, their pervasiveness and growing evil that had led to his approval of the plan. He knew the Reynosa cartel had done a number on Gibbs' team, even though NCIS had eventually prevailed. Today he'd risked every one of his European based agents without really stopping to think about what could happen. Every single one. They were spread thinly enough as it was and he had approved an operation that could have wiped them out entirely. And of course the only one injured - aside from the mystery illness of Joel's junior agent - was the one he cared most about.

He didn't know whether to laugh or pound his fists in anger that he wasn't there to protect Tim McGee and what a revelation that was. The young man, and he wasn't a kid anymore, was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, he had successfully taken the suspect down even after being injured. He may not have had all the field training he needed from Gibbs, but his instincts were spot on and he'd gotten good training from his buddies in the Silver Spring PD. Probably more 'street' training as those guys didn't have the resources a federal agency did. One thing Vance did know and that was that he now had a much better understanding of Gibbs' protectiveness than he'd ever had. Damn, he hadn't thought when he sent Timothy McGee off to Europe to allow him to prove to himself what everyone else already knew, excluding Gibbs, DiNozzo and Sciuto, that he'd miss him this much or be exposing him to this much so soon. And then he laughed at himself, what the hell had he done on his first mission? He'd gone to Amsterdam to be killed by a Russian and was luckily saved by Eli, in those days a Mossad operative, before he joined the bureaucracy. He stood up; this wasn't doing him any good. He needed to call the McGee siblings and if Joel didn't call him with word on his agent, he'd call him after the McGees. He also needed to brief the SecNav but she was in a meeting for another couple of hours.

He picked up the phone to call and then had to decide which one. He knew Rob McGee was leaving for London on Sunday and decided he would call him, thinking his sister might be there helping him pack.

He was glad when he was right. Rob saw his ID on the phone and picked it up, trying not to panic. "Director Vance, Tim…how bad?'' In the background Leon could hear Sarah cry out, "Tim no, Oh God."

"Rob, he's all right, he's not badly injured. Can you put me on speaker?"

"Yeah, ok, it's on, we're both here."

"Ok, Sarah, I just told your brother that Tim is not badly injured. He took a blow to the abdomen and is badly bruised but there are no internal injuries. He was on a classified operation that's probably all over the news now, he was with another agent; he was not alone. They took down their target; Tim took him down even after being injured."

"Is he in a hospital?"

"Yes, the other agent saw how much pain he was in when their plane landed in Athens and took him straight to the hospital. They're keeping him there overnight." Vance told the siblings Pete's plan for Tim for the rest of the weekend and eventually the two calmed down. They knew Tim trusted the director and his new boss and so were willing to believe.

"Pete said that Tim had a call planned with you two tomorrow night, uh I guess that's our daytime. He will make that call, he'll have his laptop at Pete and Trina's house and if he's asleep one of them will wake him up in time."

"Ok Director Vance, that's good to know. You're sure he had a CT scan and they did the follow up and…"

"Yes, Dr. McGee, Pete was very careful to give me all the details; he knows you're a doctor."

"Almost a doctor. Sir…"

"From what your brother's told me, there's no 'almost' about it. Now the name of the hospital is Tzaneio General Hospital and the phone number is…" Vance gave Tim's 'kids' the phone number and his room number, reminding them to add the country code when they called.

XXX

Tim slept until midafternoon; he awoke hungry and feeling better. It felt good to wake up in a bed in a house, not in a hospital. He listened to the sounds of the family for a few minutes until his stomach started growling which he took as a sign to get up and get moving. He slipped his shoes on, working his feet in without bending over and wisely making no attempt to tie them. He walked around the room for a few minutes until he felt less like Frankenstein's monster walking stiff legged. His legs were fine; they just needed some stretching and movement. Remembering where this room was in relation to the rest of the first floor was a bit of a challenge and he finally decided to just wander in the hope that someone would rescue him. He hadn't taken two steps away from his room when Kyra appeared. They smiled at each other and she giggled when his tummy growled again. "Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen. "

They headed down a hallway and then took a turn or two and Tim admitted he would never have found the kitchen by himself. Kyra giggled again, "That's because I took you the back way. The front way is easier but your room is closer this way."

Tim just nodded. Kyra pointed him toward the island with several chairs scattered around it. He shook his head, "Think I'll stand, Kyra, sitting low is kind of uncomfortable right now."

"Ok, well, there's a stool you can perch on against this counter."

"Ah, that's better, thank you!" Trina walked in then, fussed over him a bit and then asked him what he wanted to eat. Tim was dying for another gyro pita and said so. Grinning at him, Trina opened the refrigerator and plucked out all the ingredients, heated what needed to be hot, popped it all into a pita and then onto a plate. Kyra poured him a glass of lemonade with no ice and he was set. Trina sat at the island and ate slices of an apple with peanut butter while Tim devoured his gyro pita. When he had eaten enough to take a brief break, he told Trina about his sister's favorite pizza, with peanut butter and Tabasco sauce. She was both horrified and amused, making him promise to bring Sarah and Rob to the house when they visited. He thought that might be Christmas but wouldn't know until they were settled in England.


	23. Chapter 23

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Three

Across the Mediterranean Sea from Greece, Ziva David sat watching the news report in amazed disbelief. She found it difficult to believe that NCIS had been so successful in taking down an entire cartel. She felt a quick jolt of pride and then realized she had no right to it. She'd left NCIS behind; it was only part of her history now. She looked at the letter on the table in front of her, the offer from the current Director of Mossad. Could she go back, should she? She would not be an operative; she would not go back to her life as an assassin. Abruptly she remembered her statement to Malachi all those years ago, something about a snake trying to crawl back into the skin it had shed. That was enough of an answer and she crumpled the letter in her hands. She could not go backward, not to Mossad, not to NCIS. She needed to find a new path.

XXX

At 1500, Tim's watch alarm beeped at him and he walked back to his room for his call with Gibbs. He found Pete in his room with his laptop, trying to decide where to put it. "I think the bed will work best, Pete. Right now I'm more comfortable sitting where I can stretch out. I can put the laptop on my lap, ha!"

Pete smiled at him, "You sound much better. Now don't overdo it. Gibbs and then the kids?"

"Yeah and I figure Ducky will be with Gibbs – if he's not on his way here."

"I think that's why Vance wasn't going to tell him until today, so he would only have a few hours to wait to see you."

"And not in the hospital. That director of ours, he's a pretty smart guy!" They grinned at each other.

Pete left, closing the door behind him. Tim found Gibbs' Skype information in an e-mail (thank you Jimmy!) and made the contact. He chuckled to himself when the images appeared; Jimmy was at the keyboard while Gibbs and Ducky argued about something in the background. When Jimmy opened his mouth to say something, Tim winked at him and put his finger to his lips. They waited to see how long it would take the legendary investigator and medical examiner to notice he was on screen.

"Jethro, the doctor said he's fine, I spoke with the woman myself and I know Rob did too. Pete took him home this morning, their morning, he's probably slept all afternoon and maybe having something to eat, he'll be fine and…" Ducky happened to catch a glimpse of something in his peripheral vision and now looked over to see their injured hero grinning at them.

"Timothy, oh my boy, you look…good! Jethro, he's here, waiting for us to notice him."

Jethro turned and Tim saw the moisture in his eyes. "I'm all right, Boss, I promise. All these doctors are right, you need to listen to them and look at me."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise and if you're good I'll show you my bruise later."

"Bruise? I thought it was more, Tim, I felt it."

"You felt…your gut, Boss?" He reeled at the nod, how could he have known? He kept going, "It's more like one big bruise. Come on guys, don't you want to know about the operation, how I took the guy down…or you just want to look at my "owie"?

"You can talk about it?"

"Pete said it was all over the news last night so yeah. I can't tell you names but I can tell you some stuff." He told them of the countdown to the mission, how they'd got intel from 'his' CIA agents that had provided the final link needed, how the teams were split and how because he spoke Italian he was sent with Jack to Brindisi, Italy.

"You were that part of that takedown? The news reports said that dealer was one of the toughest with the worst history of violence."

"I wasn't part of that takedown, Boss, I _was _the takedown." He paused and grinned as the others commented. "So here's the rest of the story. One of the junior agents from London flew in…did you know we had every single NCIS agent in Europe on this? And several CIA agents. Anyway, Jack and I met her at the airport…" Tim told them only that she had been ill and needed rest. Then he told them about their stakeout and waiting for the command to go for all teams.

Jethro was listening and trying not to freak out. He had been working on the trying not to freak out – apart from his gut freaking out yesterday - since Ducky had arrived early this morning to tell him Tim had been involved in the big news item from yesterday, had been injured but was being released from the hospital today and back in the field by Wednesday. Gibbs was down the steps of his front porch and nearly to his car to drive to the airport when Jimmy drove up and blocked him in. The move was deliberate; the two doctors had figured Tim's former boss would want to fly to Greece and Jimmy had been waiting down the block. It had taken them several minutes to get him back in the house, finally he saw the sense in being able to see Tim and talk with him in an hour or wait at least 9 hours, probably more, until a flight could get him to Athens and his injured boy. So Gibbs had stayed but he was still working on calm. He needed to touch his boy, make sure he was really living and breathing and he put his fingers on the screen. Tim saw that and positioned his hand so that it seemed as if the two were touching.

He paused in what he was saying, "I'm really ok, Boss, I promised, you know I don't make promises lightly."

Jethro nodded, "We're alike in that." He sighed, "Go on, Tim, so what happened during the takedown?"

Tim told them everything, including his mistake and recovery with his new move and Jethro beamed with pride as he wrapped up the story of the arrest.

"It was weird then, I called Marseille to tell them our target was busted and on the way to lockup and I could hear all these other agents chiming in. Heard Pete right after me, that was a big relief, he was not happy about us being split up but hey, he got a trip to Romania out of it."

"He stayed?"

"No, I was being facetious; they came back as soon as they busted the guy. When I woke up in the hospital after the CT scan, he was there with me."

Jethro had to let that one go, he needed to be here with Tim and not get lost in his jealousy of Pete Russell and his disgust with himself. Wanting to chew nails, he put on a calm front and said, "That's good, Tim, that he was with you. A good man." Tim looked at him, not fooled but not knowing how to counter it and truth be told, not wanting to. The fact of the matter was that in the brief amount of time he'd known Pete, he'd been shown more affection, respect and care than he'd gotten in 10 years with Gibbs. He also tried not to think that in that same amount of time – since he'd known Pete - he'd received the only affection, respect and care he'd received from Gibbs.

"He is. And I'm in his home now, Boss. He told me last night that it was not negotiable, I'd spend today and tonight here and if I follow the rules the Doctor set out, he'll take me back to my rooms tomorrow after lunch. I'm allowed to go up and down the stairs twice tomorrow. "

Gibbs eyes blazed, "He's letting you stay by yourself?"

"I'm a grown man, he's respecting my decision. Besides, I'm pretty sure Matt will be there."

Gibbs just nodded, needing a minute to get hold of his temper. Jimmy jumped in, "So what happened after Jack slapped the cuffs on, were you standing or down or what?"

"I just thought it was a punch to the abdomen, you know, I was mad at myself for miscalculating but I got him anyway, so I didn't think it mattered. Once I reported on the conference call that the London agent was ill, I had Pete calling me and then Joel and honestly, I was afraid the Director was going to as well, but he didn't. I'd said we'd wait until Miller was well enough to travel but neither of us wanted to hang around. "

He completed the story telling them about walking around, meeting the London SFA and her attitude and laughing, told of his comeback to her. Gibbs was listening and commenting again and Jimmy was helping Tim direct the conversation. After he'd finished telling them about the flight and the hospital and all that boring stuff, he asked how yesterday had gone with the installers. Obviously it had been a success but he was curious to know Gibbs' reaction to it all. Jimmy grinned and Tim knew something was up. At Ducky's urging, Gibbs picked up the laptop and moved it to show the big screen TV mounted on the living room wall.

Tim pretended he hadn't already heard about it. "What? Wow, Gibbs, how did you find a black and white TV in a big screen?" Jethro cracked up at that and pointed to Jimmy, "He's my enabler, I was going to get a smaller one but he talked me into this one!"

"Well, Boss, what can I say, welcome to the 21st century! So, how many channels did you get?" Gibbs told him and Tim was impressed.

The four guys talked for another few minutes and then Tim's watch alarm buzzed. "Sorry guys, that's my thirty minute warning for my call with Rob and Sarah. He's flying to London tomorrow and he's nervous."

Jimmy frowned, "I thought James was meeting him at the airport?"

"He is and they've met on Skype but Rob's never flown overseas before, well Sarah hasn't either come to think of it. It's a long flight and then you're in Heathrow which is huge, crowded and confusing, then you're in Customs which is intimidating the first time and then he'll finally see James."

"Is he going to do a sign like he did for you?"

"Yep. Only it's going to say Dr. McGee not Rob." Gibbs was listening avidly again, he'd missed the whole London thing and he didn't know much about James; he was pleasantly surprised to hear he was meeting Rob at the airport and apparently would also meet Sarah when she arrived.

"Timothy, I want to see your injury before you ring off."

Tim sighed, "I was so hoping you'd forget Ducky. Ok, feast your eyes on this!"

He unbuttoned his shirt and three pairs of eyes nearly fell out of their respective skulls. "Impressive, isn't it? I tell you, when I do something, I do it big." Ducky and Jimmy spent a few minutes telling him what he should and should not be doing and Tim listened with affection.

Tim paused before they disconnected. "Ducky, Jimmy, do you guys mind, I'd like to talk with Gibbs alone for a bit." They nodded and walked off.

Gibbs looked at him. "Boss, who did I call when I was upset about my dad and brother?"

"Me."

"Who did I call when I was so worried about the changes to the team?"

"Me."

"So…we won't ever work together again and we're not 100% but you told me I'm a member of your family, remember? I told you I love you and you said you did too."

Gibbs nodded, "I know son, and I meant all of that, I just…I'm working on it."

"I guess that would be hard. I'm trying to imagine what I'll feel like when Sarah and Rob bring their future spouses to meet me." Tim huffed, "That's not the right analogy, Pete's not my suitor, but he is a friend and my new boss. I remember Sarah's first serious boyfriend, I wanted to kill him and I was jealous too. So I understand a little bit. Just please remember I've got a big heart and I can be fond of other people and still love you, ok?"

Gibbs nodded, "Tim, I know that in my head, but in my case it's more. It's that I failed you and Pete is doing so well by you. And sometimes I don't understand why you want to keep in touch, why you're willing to let us work this out and it scares me, I'm afraid I'll fail again and lose you for good this time. I'm grateful you've stuck with me, but I don't understand."

Tim sat there and put his fingers on the screen again and Gibbs reached out to cover them. "I've only had my sister and brothers for most of my life. We were a little family but I had to be the head of it, I had to make all the decisions, I was the one that kept us alive. Yeah, Geordie helped, but I was in charge, always. And I only knew what my dad had managed to teach me in the brief time we had together. I never had a father figure or even an authority figure after he died, Boss. Until I met you. And as bad as things got, you were still far more than the black hole of nothingness I'd had all those years. One of the things I know about family is that family works through things and forgives. Might take time, but it's what we do as family. When I marched into your house that night and said what I said, I was hurting so badly, hurt that Ziva had asked me to put my career and freedom on the line, that I'd had to quit my job because of what I did for her and then she just left without a word to me. She talked to Tony, she called you but I got nothing. And to me, it suddenly became clear that was my story on your team. I got nothing, nothing good anyway. All my skills, hopes, all my affection, nobody wanted them. And you and DiNozzo acted like it was your own personal tragedy – same as when we thought she was dead, Boss. That whole summer she was gone, it was all about DiNozzo. None of you ever thought about me having been her first friend at NCIS or ever having been her partner. That told me you didn't see me as her partner or as DiNozzo's partner. I was the tech guy, I might as well have been a desk chair for all the consideration I had from anyone. I was hurt and angry – and I'm still hurt but I've moved on with my life if not my heart and I'm gradually losing the anger. I made the right decision for me; for once I did something for me, by leaving. It was the only thing I ever did that got your attention. And somewhere along the line in the past few weeks, I've realized that although I never was or felt like I was part of _your_ family; _you_ are part of _my_ family. And family does their best to work things out. Family loves each other even when there are other people in the picture. I don't know if you and I will ever be what I'd wanted all those years ago, but I'm ok with that, I know you love me now, so that's something. As for the others, if you and I can get through things then maybe eventually DiNozzo and I will too. I don't know - I can't see that yet. But it won't happen with Abby, Boss, she's hurt me too badly over the years and she's a big part of what you and I need to fix between us. I have no desire to try to fix things with her. And now I'm afraid I'll have lost you again because I've finally told you the truth."

Gibbs shook his head, "Tim, no. I won't lose you, son, I will not lose you, I will not push you away or walk away, I give you my word. Abby's my problem, not yours. I don't expect you to do anything you don't want to do and I respect you for telling me the truth, Timothy. I just wish we could have had this conversation years ago…and I know it was me, my lack of leadership, my bullheadedness that prevented it."

Tim looked his former boss straight in the eye. "I'm not perfect. I made mistakes and continue to make mistakes. I'd been handling things on my own forever…it never occurred to me to talk to you about things. I heard you say you had an open door, but I didn't really know what that meant and because I was accustomed to handling problems by myself, I never thought about it applying to me. And…I hid things from you, I kept to myself because that was what I learned was the safest thing to do. Be invisible. Be the best you can be and be invisible so nobody has to see that you're there and deal with you; that's the way to get through 9 years of homelessness without getting killed. It was only when the hurt and anger threatened to overwhelm me that I did something."

"And I didn't read your file. If I had, I might have seen you. That was my responsibility."

Tim shook his head, "You have to let me be responsible for my own actions, right or wrong. You can't take on everything, that's just as bad as taking on nothing; don't diminish my role in this."

Gibbs looked at him, feeling like his eyes were crossing. "Tim, I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to let you be accountable for any of this. I was the Team Leader, whatever happened is on me."

Tim just sat and looked at him. "Gibbs, I can't help you with that, don't put it on me! You need to talk to your doctor about that. You're seeing Dr. Cranston, right?"

"I didn't mean to put it on you, Tim…I'll talk to the doc."

"Then when you get that figured out, would you ask her if we can have a counseling session together, you and me, over Skype? That way we'll both be sure to be clear – or get clarity – about things between us."

"You'd do that, Tim?"

"Yes, this is important to me too."

"We can call her right now if you want - to set it up."

"Ok, while you do that, I'm going to send Rob an e-mail, let him know I'll be late."

He quickly sent Rob a brief note telling him he'd be on with him in another 15 minutes, that he was on with Gibbs and needed to finish something. Rob pinged him back with an IM saying that was fine.

Gibbs came back with the phone and Tim smiled seeing it was a new cordless. "Not just the laptop and the TV, huh Boss, you also went for the phone?"

Gibbs smiled back at him and then frowned at the phone. "Where's that speaker button?"

"It'll look like a megaphone, probably up toward the top."

Gibbs pushed a button and there was Kate's sister. "Gibbs? GIBBS!"

Both men chuckled and Tim said, "Hello Dr. Cranston. You're on Gibbs' new speaker phone and I'm on his new laptop."

"Hello Tim, it's great to hear your voice!"

"And yours, Doc. Boss and I are working on things and we're at a little bit of an impasse, I've asked him to get some clarity about something and then I was wondering if we could find a way to have a session together – through Skype."

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea. Let's see, you're…how many hours ahead?"

"Seven, so I was thinking late morning for you two, that would get me past my workday, unless of course we get a case."

"Sure, how about Monday?"

"No, for one thing he really does need to talk with you first and secondly Mondays and Thursdays are out, I have a mixed martial arts class after work. What about Tuesday of the following week, the 18th?"

"I can do the 18th at 11, what about you Gibbs?"

"Yeah that works for me. Tim?"

"Yeah, that's 1800, that'll be fine."

"You're off then?"

"Yes, unless we have a case or are working on case reports, we're off at 1700." Gibbs' eyebrows rose but he didn't say anything, it wasn't his office.

"Ok, so what do I need to do?"

"You have a laptop, Doctor?"

"Of course."

"Ok, you need to set up an account on Skype," Tim spelled it for her and gave her the URL, "and download the software, it's pretty easy."

"Well if Gibbs can do it."

Gibbs snorted, "I didn't; Jimmy did it for me."

"No problem, I'll get one of my kids to help me."

"Gibbs, you're going to her office, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, then Doctor, once you get your Skype information, you need to give it to….oh shoot, Boss, can you see if Ducky's still there?"

"He is but I can do an e-mail, Tim."

"You know how to forward one?"

"Uh not sure, Ducky or Jimmy can show me."

"Ok, Doc, if you'll e-mail your Skype contact information to Gibbs, it'll get sent on to me. Then I'll contact you on the 18th."

"And I'll know when you're on?"

"As long as you're on the Internet, you'll know."

"Ok, that's a great plan. I'll talk with you both then. Gibbs, plan to stay after and call me back when you're done Skyping with Tim today."

"Yes ma'am." Dr. Cranston hung up and Tim said a quick goodbye to the three men, ending the call. His throat was dry and the lemonade glass was empty, so he angled himself carefully off the bed to reach the pitcher of water sitting on the desk. He drank half the pitcher and then decided he'd better use the bathroom before he called Rob and Sarah. He'd just situated himself on the bed again when his laptop chimed with their call.


	24. Chapter 24

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Four

"Hi guys! I'm sorry to be so late but Gibbs and I were getting somewhere, I didn't want to break off then."

"That's what we were hoping, now let me see your injury."

"Yes, Doctor." Tim hadn't bothered buttoning his shirt again so he just pulled it apart and showed off his very colorful lower chest and abdomen.

"Wow. That looks like it must hurt a lot, Timpa, you're lucky there were no internal injuries."

"It did hurt like blazes yesterday Rob, it's not so bad today. I haven't had a pain pill since I came home from the hospital."

"What? Have you slept?"

"Today, yeah, I've slept all day, only been up for a couple of hours."

"Ok. When you get off our call, you need to take another one, with some food."

"I promise I'll take one, Rob."

"Ok, so now tell us everything." Tim huffed and told them as much of the story as he could. And he told them the short version of Miller's illness. Then he started asking questions about Rob's readiness for the trip.

"I did as you said, Tim, my clothes are ready but I'm not putting them into the suitcase until tonight. So that's a few less wrinkles, right?"

"Yep. And when you get to James' place, unpack right away."

"Ok."

"When do your classes start?"

"Thursday, don't ask me why."

"That's good for you though, you'll have three days to get over the worst of your jet lag. How long do you think you'll stay with James?"

"I'm thinking at least a couple of weeks until I find a place closer to the university…if I can find a place closer."

"Yeah, I figured staying at the flat will give you about a 30 minute commute on the Underground. Which isn't bad but probably more than you want considering the hours you'll be working."

"Yeah, I'm hoping for a 5 minute walk, or even better, a room upstairs like you've got!"

Tim snorted, "Good luck with that! Well, I'm glad we have a friend there; James will be able to help you. Rob, why don't you pay James a month's rent out of our account? The reason I'm suggesting it is because I know NCIS covered my stay with him but he decided to forego getting another flatmate until you two are settled somewhere and that's not right, he's just starting out in London and it's expensive. So if you stay two weeks and Sarah stays two weeks, he's got some income to cover the extra expenses – gas, electricity, etc. Plus it'll give him time to look for a flatmate."

"Ok, how much should I pay him?"

"I'll nose around; see what I can find out."

They talked about Rob's plans for a bit longer and then moved on to Sarah's departure, scheduled for two weeks from now.

"I have to stay here without you guys, that's going to be so weird."

"We can Skype every day, Sissy."

"Oh Rob, you're going to be so busy. I'll be ok; I'm just giving you a bad time."

"Sarah, I uh…I've asked Jimmy, Breena and Ducky to keep in touch with you."

"Oh Tim, that's both sweet and maddening. I'll be fine."

"Then talk to them for me, little sister, so I can sleep at night."

"Oh, low blow, Timpa, playing the guilt trip."

"Did it work?"

She sighed, "Yes."

"Good because it's true. Of course if you don't want to talk with them, Gibbs has a new phone."

Sarah yelped. "Timothy McGee!"

Tim laughed. "Ok, just teasing. We're still working on things; I told him some more stuff today. About Abby."

"Almighty Goddess in the Universe, you told him all the things Abby's done to you?"

"Not yet; I told him I wouldn't be working things out with her, that she's hurt me too badly."

"Way to go, bro….wait, did he hang up on you or yell?"

"No, he said Abby was his problem, not mine and he respected my decision."

"I'm sorry who did you say that was? Sounded like Gibbs but that can't be right."

"Yeah, guys, I think we're going to be able to work things out eventually. We're even doing a joint counseling session next week."

"On Skype?"

"Yeah."

In her brother's apartment in Maryland, Sarah moved out of Tim's sight and looked at Rob. He nodded. "Um, Tim? We have a question for you."

"Ask, Robbie."

Sarah stepped back in, "We don't get why you're trying to work things out with him. You left his team, he was awful to you and really good things are happening to you now, except for the bruise, but we don't get it."

Tim nodded. "Because I need him, guys, and I still love him. He's the only father figure I've had since I was 9. You guys have me, but I haven't had anyone and I want that relationship, even though I'm an old guy now, I still want a dad. Need one."

The younger siblings looked at each other feeling awful, they'd never thought about Tim needing a dad. He'd always been there for them and he'd had no one to be there for him. Sarah kept talking, "What about Pete?"

"He's a good friend and he's been really good to me but I didn't meet him on a dock in Norfolk when I was 22, I met Gibbs."

Sarah huffed, "I still don't get it, Tim, but if you want him for your dad then I'm glad you guys are working things out."

"Yeah me too, Tim."

"Thanks guys." They moved on to other topics and talked for another few minutes before they ended the call, Rob promising to text Tim when he landed at Heathrow the next day. Tim had the flight number and the departure and arrival times memorized; he knew he'd drive himself crazy checking on the flight Sunday afternoon and evening. It was scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 22:40 London time which meant 23:40 for Tim but he knew he'd be awake. Rob agreed to text as he was boarding, as soon as he was in the terminal at Heathrow and then again when he'd found James; Tim knew he'd be able to sleep once Rob had found James.

Finally done with his calls, Tim put the laptop down on the bed and slumped back, tired again. Remembering his promise to Rob, he carefully swung his feet to the floor and was stuffing them in his shoes when there was a knock on his door.

"Tim, you still Skyping?"

"No, I'm done, come on in." Pete came in with a tray of goodies, a small pot of tea and the bottle of pain pills.

"Thanks Pete, I was just coming to get one of those."

"You need to eat something with them and Trina figured with two calls you might need some warmth on your throat."

"She's right! I got on a roll with Gibbs and then Rob and Sarah and hot tea sounds good." He moved his feet, "Here sit and talk to me. What have you been doing today?"

Pete laughed, "Napping! I can't believe how tired I am!"

"Oh, well that makes me feel better! I thought I was wimping out because I feel like I swam to Italy and back!"

"I know the feeling. I called Matt about half an hour ago and woke him up, he feels the same way. I guess the adrenaline started pumping Thursday and then we had to wait to get our assignments and go. We've had multi-office cases before, but never one that involved every single agent!"

"I'm so glad Joel took the on-call this weekend."

"Oh yeah, there's no way we could have handled it." Pete snorted, "I hope Agent Miller is doing the whole on-call by herself."

Tim shook his head. "I told everyone that she became ill on the flight and Gibbs just gave me a look. He knew there was more."

"Did he press you on it?"

"Nah, he didn't. I told him to back off about something on our last call – not work related – so he's kind of hanging back as far as pressing me about anything."

"I would think so."

"We were doing ok tonight, well I was telling him stuff and we sort of reached an impasse, so I'm going to do a counseling session with him and his doctor next week."

Pete looked at his new agent in surprise and then shook his head in admiration. "Timothy McGee, you are an amazing person. After the way he's treated you, you're doing that for him?"

"I'm doing it for both of us, Pete. I want to fix this, I don't want all this bad stuff hanging over me and he doesn't either."

"It's his bad karma, Tim, not yours."

"True, but I'd still have to live with it and I'd rather not. He…" Tim had to stop talking and covered it by sipping his tea. "I told my sister and brother tonight because they don't understand either, that I had no father from the time I was 9 and before that it was hit and miss, my dad being in the Navy. I raised Sarah and Rob by myself the best I could, the only things I had to lead me were what my dad had taught me and what I learned in school, and church when Sarah made us go. But I had no one to go to; I couldn't afford to trust anyone. Then one day I met Gibbs on a dock in Norfolk and I can't seem to let go of him."

"Then don't, there's nothing wrong with that, Tim. For all his faults, he meant and still means something to you; that's powerful." Tim nodded, relieved and Pete realized that this young man had been seeking his help too, that he might still feel like he had no one to teach him, to mentor him. He felt honored, knowing Tim had sought his advice and approval. The two men sat, munching on the goodies and Tim took the pill. When Pete saw him drifting off, he moved the tray and the laptop and covered him with a quilt.

Tim slept till nearly 2000 and then woke to find a soft light had been turned on in the corner of the room. There was a bowl next to the bed with what looked like bits of ice floating in it and a cold pack; Tim realized the family must have been putting ice or cold packs on his bruise throughout the day. He was still tired but not as drained as he'd felt after the two calls. He got his feet into his shoes, hit the head and then left his room, in search of people. He found them all gathered in the kitchen, the two oldest Russell kids just putting the final touches on their dinner.

He was greeted with smiles and a gentle hug from Trina, "Good, we planned that well. Now, come and sit at the table. Phoebe and Stephan cook for us on the weekends and they've made us a feast tonight."

Phoebe smiled at him, "I hope you like roast lamb."

Tim's mouth was watering with the wonderful smells and he nodded. "I do!"

He looked around nonchalantly, "What are the rest of you having?" That got a laugh from all of them. Kyra was sitting on one side of him, Lukas on the other and each reached a hand out to him. Not sure what was happening, he took their hands and then followed their lead in bowing his head while the family said grace. Then the meat platter was passed and his eyes lit up as he helped himself and then took the bowl of tiny roasted potatoes and vegetables from Kyra, dished out a serving and then passed it to Lukas.

He enjoyed his meal, eating slowly and listening to the chatter going on around him. Abruptly he realized he'd been asked a question. "I'm sorry; I was concentrating on the wonderful food, Phoebe, say again please?"

"Oh, I wondered where you're going to look for an apartment. Is Evander helping you?"

"Yes, he is, oh!"

"He knows, Tim, Kim told him. They called today to see how you're doing. In fact you had quite a few calls today. Kim and Evander, Tea, Eva and Caleb, Carla and Norm, Jack Hughes, Joel, someone named James Powell and heaven help me, my boss."

Tim's fork stopped on the way to his mouth. "All those people called?"

Kyra laughed, "Dad was napping so we grabbed his phone and took turns answering it."

At the look on Tim's face, they all laughed. "Don't worry Tim, we checked the ID. Mom talked to your friend James, Mr. Hughes and Director Vance."

Trina's lips twitched, "Joel would like you to call him back and Mr. Powell too."

"Thanks Trina. They're an hour behind us; I'll wait until after dinner."

He looked at Pete, "Vance?"

"Well yeah, they wouldn't tell him anything when he called the hospital. In DC, he's the Director of an Armed Federal agency and I'm sure when he calls Bethesda to check on an agent he can get at least some information; here he's just an American on the phone, so he called me to make sure you had arrived safely."

Tim's eyebrows climbed his forehead, "But he lived here…how could he think…?"

"Been gone a long time, Tim." Tim was having a hard time not laughing about that but he manfully suppressed his amusement. He realized he'd gotten sidetracked. "Sorry again, Phoebe! I'm hoping to find an apartment as close to the office as possible." He paused. "Although not quite as close as where I'm staying now."

They all chuckled at that. "But I don't know what the neighborhoods are called yet. I've looked at several places. There's a couple that will do if I don't find something else but nothing that really reached out and grabbed me."

"Is it fun…looking for a place to live?"

"Fun, yeah I guess it is in a way, although it's also work and can be frustrating. But every new building you stand in front of is exciting, you don't know what you're going to find inside and there's always the hope that this could be something really awesome."

"What's your favorite place that you've ever lived?" Tim opened his mouth and then shut it again, looking at Pete and Trina, both nodding at him. "Don't know whether you know this, but my sister, brother and I spent some years living on the streets in Baltimore, Maryland when we were kids; we lived in a tent. When I was 18 I got a full ride scholarship to MIT, we took the train up to Massachusetts and looked at the bulletin boards in the Student Housing office, found a private home that had a room to rent to students." Tim laughed, remembering, "You never saw three people so excited about a room! I remembered living in a house, but Sarah and Rob didn't, so it was all new to them. The house was about 5 blocks from the college campus, there was a bus stop across the street and the school where Sarah and Rob would go was just a block away. We checked that out first because I didn't want them to have too far to walk. We walked up the steps to the front porch - we were all cleaned up and had our best clothes on – and the lady who answered the door, Mrs. Ferguson, was surprised to see a college student with two kids - Sarah was 12 and Rob 11. I explained that I was their legal guardian and they'd be living with me. She showed us the room which was pretty big, although anything bigger than our tent would have looked big to us anyway! Her husband had been a professor at MIT and the room had been his study, he'd had all his books and his desk and worktable in there. It was plenty big for us and it was furnished with a double bed which Rob and I could share. I figured we could find something for Sarah and put a screen or something up so she'd have privacy. I was thinking out loud when I said it and all of a sudden the lady got all excited and ran out of the room. I told the kids to stay and I went after her, she was pulling down attic stairs, do you guys know what those are?" Everyone nodded. "She says to me that there's an extra bed somewhere in the house that would be perfect for the little girl and a big folding screen in the attic that we could use. That was our first place and it's still my favorite."

"Wow, did it seem weird to be in a house?"

"Yes it did. For one thing it was really quiet. We were used to people around us all the time, sirens and cars, you know, the sounds of a big city. It took us a few nights before we could sleep. I think aside from being warm, the best thing was being able to leave our stuff behind when we went anywhere."

He saw the blank faces. "When you live in a transient camp, which is where our tent was, you can't leave anything behind when you leave the tent or it won't be there when you get back. So you pack up your sleeping bag, all your clothes, shoes and stuff and carry it around or roll it around in suitcases all the time. "

"To school too?"

"Yes. We were lucky though, we made friends with the school secretary and she let us leave our cases with her all day."

"That was nice of her."

"Yes it was, we still keep in touch with her, in fact I sent her a postcard from London. "

"That's good! Do you keep in touch with Mrs. Ferguson?"

"We did, yes, unfortunately she died a few years ago."

"Oh, that's sad."

"Yes it was and we still miss her. But you know what, she was 95 when she passed and she just went to sleep. She always said she'd had a good life, she'd been very happy and I think that matters a lot."

The kids all agreed with him while their parents looked on affectionately. Tim changed up the conversation by asking them about their lives, school, friends, etc. and he got to hear about the school play that Stephan and Phoebe were in and some of Kyra and Lukas' projects. The kids rattled on until Trina saw Tim swallowing what had to have been his third yawn.

"I saw that, Timothy! Ok guys, Special Agent Sleepy needs to get some more rest so he can get back to being Special Agent McGee on Monday."

Tim grinned and worked his way out of the chair slowly, finding he was still very stiff and sore. Pete noticed and had an idea. "Tim, let me get you some swim trunks and you can relax in the hot tub for awhile, I'll bet that would help those sore muscles."

"That sounds good, Pete, thanks." Tim headed to his room while Pete went to the cupboard where they kept extra swim stuff for visitors. He found a bathing suit he thought would fit Tim and pulled them out. Deciding he'd go in with Tim, he turned only to find his wife there holding his own bathing suit. "Here you go, sweetie."

"How'd you know? I just decided."

"Because I know you! Don't stay in more than 20 minutes."

Tim sighed as he relaxed in the hot tub. "Oh man, Pete, this is heaven. How do you ever leave this place?"

Pete snorted, "Trina's art is heavily in demand but she's not quite earning enough yet to pay for the upkeep of the family and the house."

Tim nodded, "I've just added this to my wish list."

"A hot tub or a house?"

"Both! Although I'd need to have enough money to pay someone to do all the maintenance because I'll never have the time."

"Yeah, hire a handyman and then have him teach your kids what to do. It's worked well for me!" They chuckled.

Tim sat for a few minutes and then asked, "Did you talk to Norm or Carla?"

"Both, they were on extensions."

"How is Carla?"

"Bored and uncomfortable."

Tim shook his head. "Wow and she's got…eleven more weeks, right?"

"I think it's closer to ten, but yeah."

"Hmm, does she like movies? I know she and Norm like to read, how about e-books?"

"She likes movies; she loves spy movies and old black and whites."

"Do they have Netflix?"

"In Europe, Netflix is only really available in the UK and the Netherlands."

"So no subscriber service here?"

"No."

"But…"

"There are ways around it but you have to know what you're doing."

"So your choice is to watch DVDs or live streaming on your computer."

"Yeah, pretty much, although we have a VHS machine and tapes still. We've been here a long time, Tim!"

Tim laughed, "In Baltimore, we knew all the librarians at the branch closest to us and sometimes they would run movies in the kids' room for all of us street kids. Those were VHS."

"Never thought of that, but of course no TV or movies."

Tim shook his head, "Any extra pennies that didn't go for food went for clothes and we didn't have any electricity in the tents anyway. Sometimes there was power in the restrooms – the camp started out life as a city park and thank god nobody ever locked up the restrooms so we had flush toilets and running water some of the time."

"I can't even imagine! Hey, that was quite an adventure you told the kids, about your first place."

"I was terrified at the time. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to find a place that would let me have the kids with me. I'd already had to hammer that out for my scholarship and with MIT, all freshman are required to stay in the dorms. Thank God I was 18 and was their legal guardian by then."

"You went to Johns Hopkins first, right?"

"Yep, I started there when I was 15. Geordie was 18 by then so he was our legal guardian and signed all the forms and legal documents. "

"And you had a scholarship?"

"Yes I did. Because of my age they wanted me to stay in the dorm, not off campus and Geordie was the legal guardian of the kids so the Housing office didn't see them as my responsibility. Geordie was in college himself, he'd never had custody of the kids and there wasn't any other money. We ended up staying at the camp, part of the reason I pushed to get my degree in three years. Well, that and Geordie had stayed and gone to college so he could help us out with the guardianship; all he wanted to do was go off and be a Marine like his dad."

"And he is, right?"

Tim snorted, "Oh yeah, he's a Lieutenant."

"So he got a degree."

"He did. He got a scholarship of his own and went on to a four year after community college."

"And Sarah's got her degree and going on to grad school and Rob is in Medical School. Wow, that would be amazing for any four young people but considering your childhood, that's just astonishing."

Tim huffed, "Trust me, most of the time it was the only thing that kept us going, the idea that education could help us get out."

"I'm sure I know the answer to this, but do you keep in touch with anyone from the camp?"

"Yes, the camp and the shelter - we stayed in a shelter for a couple of years, another story sometime. But yeah, we've stayed in touch with the kids who grew up with us and we've always volunteered there."

"And have other kids done as well as you?"

"Sure, there are military, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, police, fire fighters, nurses - all kinds of medical people although I think Rob will be the first doctor - teachers, insurance agents, even a county supervisor that have come from the camp or shelter. It takes a lot of effort, more than most kids have to make but it can be done."

"Too bad the plumbers weren't around when you were at the camp, would have helped with the bathrooms, huh?"

Tim laughed, "How do you think Freddie and Jose got to be plumbers? They figured it out, kept the toilets flushing and the water running. By the time they were old enough, they sped right through their formal training. They still keep the pipes running there; both of them help out at the camp. But back to Carla, so we know about movies and books. What else? "

Pete snorted, "Oh well, about the books, it seems Norm had some inside information on one of her favorite series, so she re-read those earlier in the week. Have anything else ready?"

Tim blushed, "Uh, not at the moment and I told Matt that I'm not basing any more books on real people. I'm changing my penname and there will be no more photos of me! So what about e-books, does she have an e-reader?"

"Yes, she had one; I don't know how much she uses it though. Any ideas for authors?"

"Well, uh, I keep track of some up and coming authors and they have novels on Goodreads and Amazon. " Tim had a sudden idea. "She has a laptop or a tablet, right?"

"Laptop. As I remember she bought one of the first e-readers, it's not a tablet."

"She should write, she should write a blog about being pregnant and on bed rest. She's so smart and funny, that would be a great way for her to get through this, plus she'd make all kinds of online friends."

"Online friends?"

Tim laughed, "You don't go online much, do you?"

"Read the news for here and the States, sports, look at something the kids have done or check out what they're up to, otherwise no."

"There's a whole world out there, Pete. I know people from all over the world – literally. I realized on our flight to Italy that I know someone who lives in Brindisi and I probably know someone in Greece or the region."

"Is that through Gemcity?"

"No, I only use that name at clubs to get in and ruin the evening for everyone but the fans."

"Oops, oh yeah, I heard that story."

Trina popped her head out the back door, "Gentlemen, it's been more than twenty minutes, time to get out! Oh and dessert is being served in 3 minutes."

"What are we having?"

"Oh no, I'm not telling. You have to get out and find out for yourselves!"

Tim sniffed, "I smell something delicious."

"Ok, let's go then."

Tim snorted, "As if there was ever a doubt."

The two men laughed at themselves as they got out, Pete helping Tim and then dried off. Wandering into the kitchen, they found an apple pie sitting on the table, fresh from the oven. Lukas was just getting a container of frozen yogurt out of the freezer and Kyra was distributing plates and forks. Tim grinned; he couldn't wait until he had a family and a home like this!

After they finished their wonderful dessert, Tim tried to reach James on Skype but his friend wasn't online, so Tim sent him an e-mail, he didn't want to risk interrupting a date by calling on his cell. He then called Joel's cell but got only his voice mail. He left him a voice mail letting him know he really was in the land of the living. Once all the calls were returned he relaxed. He was invited to watch a movie with the family and was happy to see that it was one that he'd missed growing up. He drifted off at some point and woke to find Trina rousing everyone to go to their own rooms. Pete helped him up although he was already feeling stronger than he had this morning. Getting comfortable on his bed, he pulled the covers over him and wondered if he'd be able to sleep after sleeping so much already that day. His last thought as he drifted off was that he was glad that Rob would be on the same side of the world as him by this time tomorrow night. One here, one to go.


	25. Chapter 25

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Five

Early Sunday afternoon, Matt drove up just as Pete was helping Tim take his stuff inside the office. Tim gave Pete a look but the man just shrugged, "It was his idea, I told him what you said."

Tim huffed, "I've gone from the team pariah to the team burden, not a good trade off."

Pete nearly growled at him. "That had better be a joke Timothy, none of us take family lightly and I don't think you do either. You need to learn to accept help gracefully."

Tim swallowed, Pete was right. "Sorry, used to being on my own. I'll work on it."

Pete patted him on the back, "That's the right answer son and all I can ask." Luckily Matt missed the exchange and Tim smiled at him as he approached. "Hey, let me get that, Tim. Pete, I can take that too."

"All right you two, behave yourselves. Tim, you're not going to your class tomorrow night, right?"

"Unless I'm too tired I'll probably go and do some leg work, Pete, some things I can do without hurting. And I can watch Matt go through his stuff. I really want to tell our instructor about using that new move on the perp."

"Unless you're too tired."

"Yes sir."

Pete took off as the two younger men entered the building.

"So how was it staying at the Russells?"

"Oh you know…wonderful. Great people including the kids, delicious meals, good conversation." Tim laughed, "I usually refer to my former teammates as having been raised by wolves but now I'm sounding like it too. If I get grumpy Matt, it's because I'm not used to having anyone take care of me or help me out. I really am glad you're here, glad and grateful."

"No need to be grateful, Tim, that's what teammates do. So…you've been the one giving, not the one receiving?"

"Pretty much."

"Guess that does take some getting used to."

Tim stopped at the stairs and Matt laughed, "Yeah, you're only allowed one up and down, huh?"

"It's two sets today but yeah, have to think about this."

"Hmm, well let's figure out what you want to do first."

"Good idea."

"So…?"

"Well, we could sit outside for awhile."

"Aren't you supposed to be on bed rest again today?"

"Yeah and I will, but I'm feeling kind of restless right now. How about we go outside and you practice your moves and I'll critique you, help you out. You know, since you'll have the spotlight all to yourself tomorrow night."

"Uh, ok. I didn't practice at all yesterday."

"Yeah, I heard you were napping when Pete called. So no practice yesterday means double the practice today man. C'mon, I'm not going to be able to do anything, George is going to think we're not serious about this."

"Hey, we could get Kim to go with us tomorrow night!"

"Devious, I like that, you should be a federal agent! Let's call her later."

"All right, in the meantime, I'm going to go change so I can do my double practice in comfort…because I know you're not going to let this go!"

Tim shook his head, "Nope, you're right; what do you want to drink?"

"Just water and give me your bags, I'll take them up with me."

"Leave the laptop in case we decide to watch a movie down here later. I'll just catch up on my e-mail while you're upstairs." Matt set the case on the table and Tim took it out and plugged in the power cord before he sat down. Sitting wasn't as painful as it had been Friday night or yesterday; it was using his body to get up and down that was still giving him some pain. He'd taken a pain pill after breakfast and was not due for another one until 1500, so he would need to be extra careful until then. He opened his e-mail, noticed a message from Ducky and saw he'd missed it last night. He read Ducky's note and the brief note from Tony. He had to think about that, he didn't know if he was ready to respond. He really didn't want to deal with both Gibbs and DiNozzo at the same time; he had too much going on. On the other hand, you couldn't exactly tell people they'd have to wait in line. He left it for now and moved on to his other messages. One was a note from his friend StarsInHerHair about clothes for clubbing. Laughing, he sent her a quick reply thanking her for the tip and that he had that covered, he'd send pictures later.

Matt reappeared and they headed outside. Tim remembered seeing a folding chaise lounge in the shed, so Matt got that out and set it up for him. After Tim was settled, Matt practiced for an hour, stopping when he realized Tim hadn't said anything for a long time. He turned and saw that his friend was sound asleep. That's just what he had been hoping for, so Matt went in and grabbed the throw from Pete's office and put it over him. Then he continued his practice.

When Tim woke, he found himself covered with a throw and Matt was sitting at the patio table doing something with his tablet. Tim looked at his watch, it was nearly 1700, he'd slept several hours and he'd missed his pill time. He grunted at the time, he could start watching for flight information now as Rob's flight should be in the air.

Matt grinned "Have a good sleep?"

"I guess so! So much for being restless, huh? Did you get your practice in?"

"Yeah and I was perfect."

"I'm sure!"

"I sent Kim a text about tomorrow night and she said yes."

"Ah good, that'll make up for the lack of…me."

"You know Pete was right, you might be too tired tomorrow night."

Tim opened his mouth to protest and then shrugged, "We'll see. You guys will go even if I don't, right?"

"Yeah, no worries! Here, you want your phone or laptop?"

"Uh, I think I'm going inside, it's a little chilly out here."

Matt snorted, "We're so spoiled, it's November, and we're sitting outside and getting chilly at 5 in the afternoon!"

"You're right, but we deserve it!" Tim thought for a moment. "I'm going to call Carla; I haven't talked with her in days."

"Good idea, I talked to her yesterday. Hey, did you talk to your brother yesterday?"

"Yeah I did. And his flight should be in the air now so I'm going to see what the status is." Matt was a younger brother himself and was used to an older sibling checking up on him. He just nodded and then tried not to tense up as he watched Tim work himself out of the chaise lounge. He first sat up and swung around, getting his feet and legs positioned and then got up without too much difficulty. He stood and beamed at Matt, "Did it! It wasn't pretty but I did it!"

Matt chuckled, "And no help from the peanut gallery!"

"I'll probably need help getting upstairs later."

Tim headed inside and pulled his phone out to call Carla. He didn't want to sit again so he rested a hip against the kitchen counter. Carla answered the phone saying, "Yay, it lives!"

Tim laughed, "Hey, how are you?"

"Me? Doing great, better than you I think!"

"Aw, I'm ok, just got a little bruised. Hurt like hell but it's better now."

"A little bruised! Pete told me it covered your entire abdomen and some of your chest. You're lucky you didn't have any internal injuries. And Tim, don't pooh pooh it to me. I'm not DiWhateverhisname is."

"Ok, ok, I just didn't want to worry you."

"What else have I got to do?"

"I had an idea about that."

"Oh thank God! Talk to me."

"There must be other women around the world who've been or are in the same situation you are, on bed rest until it's safe to have your babies. You should write about it!"

"What? I should be another Gemcity?"

"Oh yes please, take the name, I would owe you forever! No, well yes, if you'd like, but what I was thinking about is a blog."

"Oh…I've read some, they're written about all kinds of different subjects, aren't they?"

"Yes, just about anything you can think of and some differ from time to time, bloggers change topics to match their lives. I was thinking you could be specific about being on bed rest."

"And you think other women out there, also on bed rest, would respond?"

'"I do."

"Hmm, that does sound sort of fun."

"I can show you how to get it set up if you'd like."

"Maybe, let me try to figure it out first, ok? I'm kind of a cranky student."

Tim laughed, "Oh yeah, been there, experienced that. How about you let me know if you need help?"

"I forgot to congratulate you."

"Thanks but…you know."

"Yeah yeah, just doing your job, although I heard it was a new martial arts move that you learned last week that brought the guy down!"

"I'm pretty proud of that. Now if I just hadn't gotten myself injured."

"Don't worry about it, can't be perfect all the time and you're all right. Pete says you might be released for the field as early as Wednesday."

"Yeah, I have to see the doctor Wednesday morning to get cleared." Tim laughed, "I'm used to just popping downstairs to Autopsy to see our M.E. who also served as our primary physician."

"Spoiled rotten."

"I guess; Matt and I were just saying that about the weather, that we're spoiled rotten."

"You say that now, wait until summer."

"Huh, you ever been to DC between May and October?"

"No."

"Ok, I'll let you know after this summer. Hey did either Pete or Matt tell you about the deal we made with Vance for a junior agent?"

"Both of them did and I think it's the best idea I've heard in…forever. We get to keep Matt and train someone else the right way."

"Yep."

"Speaking of training, I want to hear the real story on Joel's junior. Pete said I had to wait and hear it from you."

So Tim told the full unabridged story of the hapless Laurel Miller and her upset tummy. When he finished, Carla made a noise.

"Where did she do her probie year, do you know?"

"I think it was the Southeast office."

"Someone didn't catch on to her lack of common sense, that's for sure."

"Or they did and it was ignored."

Carla made a rude noise, "Like that doesn't happen! I'll be interested to see what happens with her."

"Fired or more training?"

"I don't know; can you learn common sense?"

"Good question."

"Personally, I'd fire her ass, but I'm not Joel."

"Yeah, I don't know. Pete told me last night he would have fired her on the spot." Tim chuckled, "Did he tell you we had her on our list as a possible junior?"

"Wow, talk about an epic fail."

"Yeah, I do feel kind of sorry for her; I suffer from seasickness and have had to take a lot of Dramamine in my life, anytime we get near a ship. But my boss always knew about it, sometimes he was the one giving me the Dramamine."

"Huh, wonder if Joel knew…no, never mind, stupid thought."

"That reminds me…the SFA from London."

"Lydia, what about her?"

"What can you tell me?"

"Professional, good at her job, not very personable from what I've seen. I've never warmed up to her or her to me although we're both strong and opinionated, you'd think that we would have bonded. Why?"

"Joel sent her to Brindisi to relieve Jack and me from babysitting Miller and she was something of a snot."

"Oh My Heavens, she must have been a total bitch for you to say that."

"I've seen worse and I wasn't in a very charitable mood considering it was her junior agent; I gave the attitude back to her. Wondered if you knew her."

"You thought maybe we were friends and she was upset because you replaced me?"

"Uhhhhh...yeah."

"Or that she wanted the spot for herself and was pissed at you?"

"Oh she was definitely pissed at me, it sure felt personal, business-personal; you know what I mean."

"Huh. You tell Pete?"

"Yeah he was the one who came up with the idea that maybe she wanted the spot for herself. I'd just like to know before I have to work with her."

"Call her on it, Tim, confront her. I imagine that's her style but she won't be expecting you to make waves, since you're new out here. You'll probably shock the shit out of her by doing that."

"Yeah, I don't see another good way to find out and I need to know before some other case throws us together."

"And of course you'll let me know! How about you and Matt come for dinner Tuesday night? Unless…you know."

Tim laughed, "Yes for me, I'll ask Matt. Hey, Kim's going with us to our martial arts class tomorrow night."

"Oh great! Wait, you're going?!"

"I'll just go and watch unless I'm too wiped out from the day; I want to tell our instructor about me taking down the perp with my new move. And I might be able to do some leg work without hurting anything."

"Do I trust your judgment?"

"Yes because Matt and Kim will be there."

"That sounds about right."

"I'll see you Tuesday night, let me know what to bring. Now I have to go; my brother's flight to London is in the air and I'm over an hour late freaking out."

Carla started laughing and was still laughing when Tim disconnected. He immediately checked the status of the flight and found it had left on time, was still in the air and the ETA had not changed; the flight was still scheduled to land at 22:40. He set his phone alarm for an hour to check again and was just replacing the throw in Pete's office when his phone rang. Thinking it was Carla, he answered without looking at the id. "I'm all done freaking out for now, I'll check again in an hour. Did you forget something?" He walked back to the kitchen as he talked, wanting something hot to drink.

And a very non-Carla voice said, "No, Agent McGee, I haven't forgotten anything, just calling my injured agent to see how he's doing."

"Director Vance, hello! Sorry, I'd just been talking with Carla and…never mind. I'm doing much better, sir, thanks. Pete drove me home, er, here after lunch today and I've been napping out in the garden."

"You alone there?"

"No sir, Matt's here. He's still out there practicing his moves for tomorrow night; we have our martial arts class Monday evenings."

"The two of you?"

"Kim's starting tomorrow night too."

"And are you going?"

"Maybe, if I'm not too tired. If I can do some leg moves without killing myself I'd like to do that. Otherwise I'll just watch; I really don't want to risk not being cleared for the field."

"My thoughts exactly although I can see why you might feel a little conflicted. Pete tells me the move you used to bring your target down was one you learned last week?"

"Yes sir."

"Impressive, Tim! Now what were you freaking out about and why are you doing it again in an hour?"

"Oh, my brother's flight to London is in the air and I just did my first check on the status and I set my phone alarm for an hour to check again."

"Is your former flatmate meeting him?"

"Yes, I had an e-mail from him that he was all set, he'd check the flight before he left for Heathrow."

"That's good. I know your kids are well balanced, but flying internationally for the first time is a bit daunting, especially alone."

"You too?"

"Yes, my mission in Amsterdam was my first time outside of the U.S.; at least Rob's heading into a country that speaks the same language. In theory anyway." He paused, ""Have you talked with Joel?"

"No sir, Pete said he called yesterday but I slept nearly all day so I missed all the calls…yours too."

Vance chuckled, "I might have been upset if you'd been awake and not following doctor's orders!"

Tim laughed, "To tell you the truth, sir, even if I hadn't been injured I probably would have had a nice long nap yesterday. Pete and Matt both admitted they'd had long naps. I think it was the flying to and from in such a short time frame, plus all the adrenaline!"

"Could be, I'm just grateful that you weren't hurt any worse than you were and that no one else was injured…except for Agent Miller's illness. "

"Uh sir, about that, I just didn't think the entire European contingent of NCIS needed to hear it."

Vance sighed "No, you're right, Tim, discretion was a good choice. So you haven't heard from Joel today."

"No sir, but should I be talking with him? I can call him tomorrow…"

"No, no, I'm sure he'll contact you if he has any questions or anything, I'm just being nosy."

Tim laughed, "Well, it is your agency, Director, I'm pretty sure you're allowed to know what's going on!"

"Funny guy. So you need another name for your list now."

"Yes sir, do you have anyone in mind?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure yet, I'll do some more checking tomorrow and let you know."

Just then Matt popped into the kitchen from the garden and evidently didn't see the phone in Tim's hand. "WHOOHOOO, I am so gonna kick butt tomorrow night! I've got the moves, oh yeah."

"That'll be great, Director, we can use more names. I sent the list we have to Major Fleming last week, hoping to hear something in the next day or so."

"Are you taking your pain pills and following doctor's orders?"

"I have been but I'm running a couple of hours behind now, Matt's getting me some crackers so I can take one now." Matt's eyes were still popping out of his head, had been since he'd heard Tim say the word "Director" after he'd done his Kung Fu banshee yell while entering the kitchen. He looked up with a puzzled expression when he heard his name, then shook his head to clear it and started opening cupboards looking for crackers.

"And why are you behind?"

"Because I was asleep most of the afternoon sir, I've only been awake for about 15 minutes now. Matt's making me a snack so I can take the pill." Tim and Matt spotted the pill bottle on the counter at the same time and Matt made a big show of putting it on the table with the crackers and a glass of water.

"See that you continue to follow your doctor's orders or I shall be forced to tell Dr. Mallard."

"Oh Lord, sir, don't do that, please!"

Vance started laughing, "All right, I won't, take it easy. Let me talk with Matt while you take that pill."

"Sure! Thanks for calling Director; you know what that means to me." He handed the phone to Matt who looked like he thought it might explode in his hand. Tim deliberately turned his back while he ate a few crackers and then swallowed the pain pill. A couple of minutes later, Matt handed the phone back to him, "Wants to talk with you again."

"Forgot to tell you the kids send their love."

"Back at them, how are they doing?"

"Pretty well, you might get some e-mails asking for help in math, Kayla's facing some challenges."

"Always happy to help! Just let me know." The two men said their goodbyes and ended the call.

Matt was smiling so wide it almost split his face. "He wanted to tell me he was impressed with my work and my potential and my "pitch in and help" attitude. He's in charge of this whole agency and he took the time to tell me that. "

"He makes it a point to keep an eye on young agents and employees just starting out. He's got a lot of positions to juggle; he needs to always have future juniors, SFAs, Team Leaders and SAICs in mind. Not to mention all the other positions – forensic specialists, crime scene specialists, profilers, volunteers for the Contingency Response Teams, Management and Administration positions…you know, who's next to run MTAC, etc. He's got 18 field offices and 165 other locations to keep staffed, so yeah, he likes to keep an ear and an eye out for promising employees."

"Wow, that's a lot and I know we're considered a small agency."

"Yep, small and mighty! Uh, Matt, now that I've got crackers crumbs all over me and have dribbled water all over my shirt, I've realized I need to do something really prosaic – laundry. And that means going upstairs."

"Ok, are your laundry supplies up there?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, let's take the laptop up then and maybe watch a movie." The laundry machine was in the hall bathroom and was a commonly used European model that functioned as both washer and dryer. While efficient, it also took much longer to do multiple loads of laundry for those people who used the dryer function and didn't hang their clothes out to dry. Tim had had to do that for all his years at the camp and vastly preferred the dryer method.

Tim started up the stairs, stopping halfway up. "Glad I took the pain pill, I can still feel this but geez I need to get moving!"

"You're doing fine, just take it easy."

He made it up to the second floor and stopped again to ease the twinges. He sorted his clothes and carried them down the hall to the bathroom, setting aside the shirt he'd worn Friday to take to the dry cleaners as it was a mess. He thought he'd wear button downs for a couple more days and then go back to his other shirts.

Once the first load was washing, the two friends settled in to watch a movie. Tim insisted Matt pick the movie as he figured he'd only fall asleep anyway. He did, about ten minutes into the movie and woke when his phone alarm chimed for his second status check on Rob's flight. It was also time to reset the laundry machine to dry. That done, Tim checked on the flight and found it was still proceeding as planned. He sent a quick text to James who answered him with "LOL, of course you're checking every hour."

He settled on his bed again, determined to watch the movie this time but once again felt himself drifting off. This time he was awakened by his phone ringing. It was Joel. "Did I wake you? You're supposed to be resting, I know. I just wanted to check in with you, see how you're doing."

"Hi Joel. I'm doing pretty well; Matt's staying with me today, helping out. Yeah, I was dozing but I keep doing that, I don't mind waking up!"

"Right, well you sound good, better than I'd hoped. I wanted to thank you again for taking care of Miller."

"Yeah sure, Joel, how long was your SFA stuck in Brindisi with her?"

"They didn't get home til yesterday. Miller slept so late there were no more flights Friday night. Lydia was not happy." Tim couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't generate questions he didn't want to answer, so he just waited. "I'm stepping out of protocol here, Tim, but since this directly affected you, you have a right to know. I fired Miller this morning."

Tim nodded to himself, he wasn't surprised. "It's too bad, Joel. It's not like any of us are perfect, we all make mistakes."

"If your CIA buddy hadn't been there, her actions would have compromised your part of the operation."

"True."

Matt looked over at him and Tim made a throat cutting gesture and the younger man nodded with a grimace, understanding who and what they were talking about. The London SAIC and Tim chatted a little longer and then disconnected.

Tim turned to Matt. "Wow, I guess that was a foregone conclusion, although I thought they might go for additional training." He looked at Matt. "In my ever present need to find some little tidbit to teach you this is what I'm getting out of that mess: If you have anything that could in any way affect your team or an operation, let your boss know. If you're worried about a sick friend or have suffered a death in the family or have a migraine coming on or need to take something that could change the way you do your job, let him or her know! It doesn't necessarily mean you'll get pulled, it does mean your team will be safer. You'll develop your own instincts for stuff like this as you gain more experience and grow in the job but until then, report in."

Matt nodded. "How did you know I have migraines?"

"I didn't but I've known agents who've had them. How often do you get them and do you have the right kind of medication to stop them?"

"I haven't had one in two years, since I got out of college and yes, I have my prescription with me, I keep a dose here at work, one at home and two doses in my go bag. And Pete and Carla know."

"Ok, good and now I know too. You know what? I just realized I haven't reviewed your file!"

"We've been pretty busy."

"Mmm, I hate to keep bringing up examples of what not to do but one of the reasons I had so many bad experiences on my old team was that my boss never read my file. Never read anyone's but in my case reading it probably would have made all the difference in the world."

"So he didn't know about your background, wait, how did he hire you…or transfer you?"

"That was part of it, since he wasn't hiring me from outside NCIS he only looked at my experience and education, so yeah, he didn't know about the years on the street or my skill with a knife, the languages I speak besides English and a few other things."

"How come he never read anyone's file?"

"His mentor taught him to ignore the written stuff and to find the details by getting to know his agents. Unfortunately, Gibbs only paid attention to the ignoring part, not the getting to know bit, in my case anyway."

"So is that what he's doing now, trying to get to know you?"

"To some degree, yes, Vance made him read my file after I left and he's been trying to make things right between us."

"You're not going back, are you? I mean to work with him, once things are better?"

Tim shook his head. "No Matt, I won't go backward, need to keep moving forward. And I'm here now, not DC. You all are my team now, my job, my post."

"Good!"

"Have you been worried about that?"

"A little, I mean you left the top MCRT in the agency to come here and Pete told us a little bit but then when you got here you talked with your old boss and I… was confused."

"I guess that does sound confusing. Here's the deal, when you work with people long enough and I think you already feel this here, you become like a family. A work family and in the case of Gibbs' team a wildly dysfunctional work family. You know about us quitting last spring?"

"Um, I know there was something that Carla referred to as a witch hunt."

"Ok, it's complicated and really doesn't matter anymore but there were three of us who turned in our badges to save someone else's career and freedom. DiNozzo and I eventually returned, but Ziva didn't. She moved back to Israel, in essence, she "broke" the team. And there was stuff that happened afterward that showed me it was also time for me to move on. Anyway, the team has dispersed, but there is still the possibility of healing the family and that's what Gibbs and I are working toward."

"Oh, that makes sense then, especially because you don't have any parents. Um…I didn't mean…"

"But you're right! I don't have parents and I still need, still want a parent or two - or reasonable facsimiles of them." The dryer buzzed, Tim took his clothes out and put the next load in to wash. His phone buzzed, he checked the status and Rob's flight was still on target.

The evening passed slowly with the mundane chores of everyday life, laundry, cooking and eating dinner and washing dishes interspersed with Tim's hourly checks on Rob's flight. He fell asleep again during a TV show he and Matt were watching but woke when his phone buzzed. Eventually it chirped with a text from Rob, he was at Heathrow. Matt went off to bed while Tim changed into his pajamas and tried to concentrate on the same e-book he'd been trying to read for weeks. Finally he got the text that said Rob had found James and they were on their way to the flat. Tim sent a grateful goodnight text, put his tablet down and slumped down in bed, turning out the light.

* * *

Note: the information about the positions at NCIS and the number of offices "forensic specialists, crime scene specialists, profilers, volunteers for the Contingency Response Teams, Management and Administration positions…you know, who's next to run MTAC, etc. He's got 18 field offices and 165 other locations"… came from the website for the Real World NCIS. As fan of the NCIS show I found it pretty exciting reading about it. If you've never been to the website, I recommend it. Just Google it and find the real NCIS in the mass of TV NCIS refs.


	26. Chapter 26

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Six

Gibbs had hoped to talk with Tony on Saturday but after he'd talked with Tim he got a text that DiNozzo had been called out on a case. He left his laptop on and Sunday night he heard the sound that meant someone was using Skype to contact him. It was a tired looking Tony.

"Hey, did you get your case solved?"

"Yeah, drug deal gone bad; luckily no one died. Just took us awhile to figure out who all was involved and bring them in."

"You look tired."

"Yep, was at the office until 0300 this morning then we were released to get some sleep, went back in at 0900, just got home. Paperwork tomorrow."

"Come closer to the screen, Tony. What did you do to your hair?"

"Got a buzz cut, Boss. I know, I know, weird, but I was hearing comments about my pretty boy do and I just decided to make the move to fit in."

"Tony…look, don't bury yourself, you have a right to your personality."

"Except for the bullying part."

"Well, yeah but that got learned somewhere, you need to unlearn it. But I really meant your style, how you take care of yourself. Don't subdue yourself, don't hide your light. Yeah, no pranks and you want to lose the bullying altogether and for all time, but don't try to be someone you're not. Don't hide your sense of humor or your love of film just to fit in. It's not going to work and will just come back to bite you."

"How do you know that's not all I am, the jokes, the movies, the pranks and the bullying?"

"Because I know you and that's not the sum total of who you are. You're smart, clever, curious, funny and a hell of an investigator. Don't bury those traits!"

"I also open my mouth before I think and manipulate others to get what I want."

"Not news, we've talked about that for years. Now you need to pay attention, work on those things. I'm not there to protect you anymore."

"Protect me?"

"Yeah."

"Shit. It's not that easy."

Gibbs huffed, "Tell me about it. But it'll be worth it, to me anyway, if it means I can go back to work, if you and I can still be close, if I can fix things with Tim."

"I still…is **_he_** having to fix things? What's _he_ working on?"

"His life, Tony. For one thing, he's having to play catch up in the field because I kept him benched. He had to take a lateral move in order to get out from under our boots."

"I heard he's a Senior Field Agent."

"He is now, yes."

"So Vance protected him."

Gibbs had tried to keep his temper at bay but he was rapidly losing the battle. "Someone had to; it sure as fuck wasn't either of us!"

Tony's eyes widened and he backed off.

"DiNozzo, you still don't get it, do you? We screwed up, you and me. Yeah, there were things Tim could maybe have done and he's not perfect, but it was our responsibility and we screwed up, we let him down in just about every way possible. This is not Tim's fault. And until you understand and admit your part in that, you're not going to get anywhere. Not by being what you think your boss wants you to be, not by your damn haircut, and not by carrying a grudge against the guy **_you _**hurt, you wronged. Stop being so damn jealous, what the hell do you think got you into this mess in the first place?"

"**_What_**_?_"

"You've been jealous of Tim since the day you met him, jealous and insecure. And I tried to help by paying more attention to you, trying to help you, but it was the worst thing I could have done. So now it's time, way past time to get over it. Stop blaming him for being who he is and grow the hell UP!"

Gibbs reached over and disconnected the call. He hated talking with DiNozzo when he was this whiny and letting his jealousy shine. He knew he shouldn't have talked to him that way but maybe it would get through to him; help him see what a jerk he was being about Tim. He hoped his oldest surrogate son would understand all of what he'd been trying to tell him. He needed to lose the jealousy, stop blaming Tim but also be himself. He was shaking he was so upset. He got out his notebook and wrote it down, writing for several minutes before he felt himself calming. He thought about calling Ducky but it was getting late and he didn't want to upset the older man, especially on a Sunday night when he had to be at work the next day. He would talk with Dr. Cranston tomorrow, geez he had a lot to go over with her.

XXX

In Louisiana, Abby was still fuming after seeing the news report about NCIS' big bust the day before. It looked like McGee's Evil Influence which she had now given capital letters to, had now spread to another continent. She tried again this morning to speak with the parish priest but he'd directed her to pray for forgiveness and enlightenment. She had walked away, scoffing. She was still waiting to hear about the job, as soon as she got that, she'd do something about enlightenment all right. Maybe it was time to take matters into her own hands, let people know how Evil Timothy McGee really was. She just had to be careful that whatever got out there on the internet couldn't' be traced back to her. She was smart, smarter than everyone around her, smarter than that evil monster masquerading as a geek, she'd figure it out.

XXX

Tim slept through the night, not needing any further medication. When he woke Monday morning he felt normal. His alarm hadn't gone off yet so he lay there relishing the feeling. Rob was over here, in London anyway, once Sarah got there, he'd feel a lot better. Not quite on the same continent, but close! Oh yeah, he felt good – normal. Yep this was going to be a good day. He got out of bed and still he was ok. He looked at his upper body, yep, the bruise was still there, starting to turn some interesting colors. He smiled as he got into the shower, he'd be cleared for the field on Wednesday. As he dressed, he smelled food cooking and realized Matt had beaten him downstairs. He bent to put his shoes on, ok, maybe that was a little twinge, tiny though. He walked carefully down the stairs repeating his mantra, back in the field on Wednesday, back in the field on Wednesday and was pleased when he made it without more than another tiny twinge. Not worth even mentioning.

Matt looked up. "You did good on the stairs. What are you going to tell Pete?"

"That I'm…fine, I'll tell him the truth. Just a few little twinges, when I was putting my shoes on and walking downstairs."

"That's good because you know he hates BS and he wouldn't believe you if you told him you were perfectly normal today."

He got a seriously scary look and his eyes widened. "Wow, are you mad at me? I'm just telling you the truth."

Tim shook his head, "Sorry man, I know that. That was sort of an automatic reflex…a learned one so I can unlearn it. Or just learn to use it on dirtbags and not friends"

"Well if it's meant to intimidate, it does."

"Huh, Gibbs will be happy to hear that his work goes on."

"Oh, that's a Gibbs look. Yikes and that's the guy you look to as a father figure!" The coffeemaker gurgled as it finished its brewing and Tim fixed two mugs of coffee, one just the way Matt liked it.

"Sorry, Matt. Can we start over? Good morning my friend, thanks for cooking breakfast and staying with me yesterday. Means a lot to me, you doing that."

"Promise not to ever give me that look again?"

"I promise!"

"And I don't want to ever meet Gibbs."

"Ok, I can't speak for professional gatherings but as far as personal appearances that won't be a problem."

"Ok, then we're good. " Matt looked at Tim, "So if you ever do give me that look, I'll know I've screwed up big time."

"Especially not then."

"Huh?"

"If you're anything like me, you'll know when you've screwed up and the last thing you need is that look."

"Yeah, good point. So what look will I get?"

Tim gave him the look he'd perfected with Sarah and Rob over the years, the "Really? I'm so disappointed in you" look.

"Ouch, that's almost as painful."

"I'm messing with you now, Matt! No look, we'll just deal with whatever happened. We all screw up, don't worry about it ahead of time."

"Another good point. Breakfast is served." They sat at the table and ate while they talked about plans for the week. Matt said he would let Carla know he would be there for dinner Tuesday night. Tim needed a haircut and he wanted to get it this week so it wouldn't look too freshly cut for the Embassy party, now only 11 days away. Matt laughed at first and then stopped, thinking about it. Tim hoped he and Evander could look at more places during the week and on Saturday. And now he thought he'd use this evening to call Sarah and Rob, find out how Rob's first day in London had been. Eventually they finished their coffees, put the dishes in the dishwasher and headed back upstairs, Tim taking them slowly. He completed his morning routine and grabbed his laptop bag. He was ok until he reached up with the strap in his hand, ready to sling it over his shoulder. That caused a twinge and it wasn't tiny. He didn't want to take the last pain pill, he needed to be alert; he found his bottle of Advil, took one and then stashed the bottle in his laptop case.

However, he must have made a noise because Matt appeared in the doorway.

"What happened?"

"I lifted the strap on this, the whole bag really, to put it on my shoulder and it hurt a bit. Still a twinge but it hurt and didn't fade away so I took an Advil and I'm bringing the bottle downstairs with me."

"That's good that you took the Advil. Here, give me the bag. If it hurt lifting it up there, it's not going to be good walking down the stairs with it on your shoulder."

Tim made a movement toward the strap, but Matt stopped him. "Wait. Better just let me take it off."

Tim nodded and stood still while his friend slid the strap off his shoulder and grabbed the carry handles on the bag.

"Anything else you need to go downstairs?"

"Don't think so." They walked downstairs, Matt going first and then turning and watching Tim for signs of trouble. Tim smiled when he got to the bottom. "Thanks man. That went better than the first time!"

Pete came in shortly after they reached their desks. "Ah good, my two favorite agents. How are things?"

Tim grinned, "Slept like a rock and didn't need a pain pill; had some twinges this morning – Matt had to carry my laptop bag down for me – and I've taken some Advil. But I feel a lot better. When I woke up this morning, I felt normal."

"Good, that's great news! So you'll take it easy today and tomorrow. Matt, how are you doing?"

"I'm good Pete. I learned something about haircuts this morning."

"Oh, what's that?"

"To get them several days ahead of an event so your hair will look more natural, not so just cut."

"Yeah, unless you're military that's always a good idea. Rob get to London ok?"

"Yes, right on time!"

"That's great! Now, I have something for the two of you, well for everyone really, but I'll start with you two." He took an envelope off his desk and took two tickets out of it. "These are for the kids' play which opens Friday night. It'd be really great if you guys would come."

Tim grinned, "Wouldn't miss it, Pete. Sarah and Rob were in their school plays and it was a lot of fun!"

Matt smiled, "Sure thing, I was in our senior play in high school."

"Oh yeah? What play did you do?"

"We did "Grease" and I played Doody."

"Hey, that's great!"

"Yeah, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids do "Bye Bye Birdie", it's sort of the same era."

"Guess that's true. Any news from anyone?"

"Carla's fine, we're having dinner with them tomorrow night."

"Great, Trina and I stopped by yesterday, she's really bored. And a bored Carla is dangerous."

"I mentioned the writing thing, she liked the idea."

"Good, something for her to do."

Matt grinned and Pete's eyes narrowed. "And?"

Tim tried not to roll his eyes. "Director Vance called to see how I was."

"Good!"

He looked at Tim's face, "What?"

"It's great that he's been so nice to me, but I don't want to get the reputation of being um…never mind."

"You're not and he'll get used to you being over here. He told me last week he misses you in the office. I guess the bullpen where your former team sat is empty and he's still getting used to it."

"Oh. Yeah, that would be weird." Tim's shoulders suddenly slumped; Matt recognized the look and wisely turned to his desk while Pete steered his SFA into his office.

"You're homesick."

"Yeah, it just kind of hit me."

"That's how it works."

Tim gave a little laugh, "The Director told me to find a McDonald's, said it would help."

"Believe it or not, it does, a little. You'll be talking with your sister and brother tonight, right?" Tim nodded, "That should help. Easier for you now than it was for Leon and me."

Pete got a full smile for that suggestion. "We have the internet and Skype now and you and the Director really didn't all those years ago."

"Wasn't all that many years ago! My brother, sisters and most of my friends had e-mail but it could be a little tricky to send internationally. And my mom didn't have a computer at home. She'd go to the library and sign on there." He laughed, "She bought a laptop when Skype first came out. I think she was Skype's first customer in the U.S., no way was she going to miss any opportunities to see her grandchildren!"

Tim thought about that as he returned to his desk. He didn't remember his mother and Natalie had certainly never shown any maternal or any other kind of interest in them. Mrs. Ferguson their first landlady had been wonderful to them but Tim didn't know if she had been maternal. He realized he didn't really know what "maternal" meant aside from the dictionary definition and wondered if that was part of his problem with women. He hadn't been around any nurturing women that he could think of, his teachers, certainly not Natalie, there was no mothering there. His high school girlfriend's mother liked him and the school secretary who had helped them.

Shrugging, he opened his NCIS e-mail and found a reply from Major Fleming. As with everyone else these past few days, his first comment was to send congratulations for the cartel takedown. Then he launched straight into the list. When Tim saw what was said about Laurel Miller, he again felt that they had dodged a bullet and wondered why she'd been promoted from Probationary to Junior. He pushed past that, she was no longer his concern. He inserted the major's findings onto his worksheet and studied it. He went back to the files and read the six pertinent ones again. Making a decision, he cut the list down to four names, updated his document and sent it to Pete. They still needed to cut one more to reach their short list.

The day went quickly, the phones were quiet and the three agents were busy doing their reports of the cartel takedown. All the reports would be submitted to Marseille and they would do the final write-up. Pete and Tim had already received Ted and Jack's reports this morning and folded them in with their own. Eva was off as she'd worked late on Friday, helping Kim support their agents. Tea and Kim disappeared at lunchtime, visiting Carla. Pete offered to pick up lunch and Tim decided to go with him, he needed to walk and get some fresh air. He felt like he'd been penned up for weeks rather than two days, plus he could drop his shirts off at the laundry. Matt insisted on going upstairs to get them and Tim didn't fight him. The walk to and from the deli was brief but it did him a world of good to get outside and stretch his long legs. They dropped his shirts off on the way, picked up the lunch order they'd called in and walked back.

After lunch, Tea finished sorting the mail and gave something to Kim with a question. Kim read it, grinned and pointed to Pete. The others saw the grin but Pete had been on the phone. Tea waited until he was off to give him the formal looking envelope. If they hadn't already been given their embassy party invitations, Tim might have thought this was it. Pete read whatever was in the envelope and came out of his office, smiling. He called Tea in so she could listen.

"The USS Baton Rouge is coming into port on Saturday and they're holding a reception Sunday afternoon." He held up the document in his hand, "We're all invited!"

Tea asked, "All of us?"

Pete nodded, "Yep, all of us. Spouses too, so Eva, Caleb can come and Kim, I think we can stretch to include Evander, he's almost a spouse."

Eva looked disappointed, "Unfortunately we have other plans that can't be changed."

Kim nodded, "Weekends are Evander's biggest days for work, but I'll check with him."

Matt grinned, "I can go!" Tim laughed, "Me too!" Pete chuckled, "I'm glad the play is Friday night and Saturday, there's a matinee performance on Sunday but I think Trina, Kyra, Lukas and I can skip that." They talked about the reception for a little while, hoping there would be a tour of the ship. Everyone was going to the play on Friday night and that seemed funny to them too, that they had two "work" events in the same weekend.

Tim had been considering going to class that evening but Pete was still making noises about it and he realized his boss was right, he should not be overextending himself at this point, he owed that to his team. After telling Pete, he called George to let him know he'd be unable to come to class tonight but that Matt and Kim would be there. To Tim's chagrin, the instructor was as excited as he was concerned; he had decided on his own that Tim and Matt had been in on that big bust. Tim wondered if it was his original mention of his team that had planted the seed that led to George's conclusion. He decided not to tell him about his new move taking down the target until he saw him in person and then maybe not for a few weeks; he needed some semblance of anonymity and was afraid George would brag to his friends. Sure he was normally discreet, but to have his very own pupil participate in that newsworthy of a bust and using a move he'd taught him? Even a monk who'd taken a vow of silence would be sorely tempted to brag about that! During the afternoon, Tim pulled Matt and Kim aside and shared his concerns and they agreed, they would not bring the subject up and if George did, they would downplay it and emphasize the need for discretion.

By 1700, Tim knew he wouldn't have gone no matter what his decision had been earlier, he was tired. He had texted Rob during the day and his younger brother said he was doing ok as long as he took naps. He had gotten outside and walked around, said he'd stopped in for a bite at the pub Tim and James had frequented. Rob said he could stay awake long enough for a Skype call with Sarah and Tim. Sarah had finally answered his text and said she'd be around the rest of the day as she was still sorting out her belongings.

XXX

Leon had finally compiled the list of names for Gibbs' team. There were six agents, three SFAs and three juniors to choose from. Two of the juniors were here in DC, Ned Dorneget and Susan Grady. After Agent McGee had voiced his concerns about Grady last week, Vance had done a little more digging and had a chat with the young woman. She now had a better understanding of workplace ethics and would also be assigned an additional training class on the subject. Pamela had found one offered by the DOJ that emphasized ethical use of electronic records and Agent Grady would be attending that. Vance made a note to contact Gibbs with his selections. He had been shocked but pleased to hear the man was in counseling and hoped he would stay with it until he figured out what had gone wrong and how to change his behavior. He thought by now the prospects for the future MCRT were as vetted as they could be, it was time to hand over the list to Gibbs and let him make the final decision.

XXX

Pete had gone out to run some errands and the others left, so Tim set up the Skype sessions with his siblings. They didn't talk long, Tim had just wanted to touch base with both of them, see how Rob felt after his first day in London. Pete came back into the office to find Tim stretching his legs out in the garden. They had a few minutes before Vance's call so Tim decided to do the stairs up and down once while Pete was there. He did fine this time, no twinges, he didn't have to stop and he hadn't taken any more pain relievers. That made both men happy and they were in decidedly good moods when Vance called. With all the talking they'd done over the last few days there wasn't any real news for the Director, except that they'd whittled their junior agent list down to four names. The call was short and sweet and Pete took off for home after making sure Tim didn't need anything.

Tim decided to fix something to eat, he'd planned to walk down to the Flying Pig but he was tired and wanted to rest tonight so he could relax at Carla and Norm's tomorrow night. He made himself a simple dinner, making a note that he needed to buy some groceries. He had just finished when his laptop chimed with a Skype call. Looking at the id, he saw it was Gibbs and grinned. He answered with a smile, "Hey Boss! I was just finishing dinner, good timing!"

"I called Sarah and she told me you weren't going to your class tonight."

"Yeah, being in the field with the team is more important than the class right now. So what are you up to this morning?"

"Going to see Rachel in a little bit, just wanted to check in and see how you're doing today. I figured you probably sacked out most of yesterday too, didn't want to risk waking you up."

"Thanks! I did, Matt was here and we were out in the garden." Tim laughed, "He didn't do any practice on Friday or Saturday so I critiqued while he practiced. Only I fell asleep at one point, we found a chaise lounge in the shed here so I was stretched out on that. I swear, two minutes stretched out and I'm sound asleep."

"That's good though Tim, it's what your body needs to do to heal."

"I guess, I did fine on the stairs today, just a few twinges but an Advil this morning took care of that and I haven't needed one since."

"Good! You look a lot better than you did Saturday; geez, I was ready to get on the next flight."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Ducky didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Vance called him Saturday morning and told him about you being injured and of course you were home from the hospital by then. Ducky called Jimmy before he came over to tell me. When Duck came over to the house and told me, I just grabbed the car keys and headed out the door, I was on my way to you, Tim. No question about it. I was halfway to my car when Jimmy drove up and pulled in behind me, blocking me in. Then they managed to talk me down and get me back inside the house. Timing was all; I got to see you an hour later."

"Wow, Boss. That's…thank you."

Gibbs just shook his head, remembering the cloying fear when Ducky told him. "You'll always be mine, Tim."

"I like that." Tim chuckled, "Guess that means I have rights to you too."

Gibbs smiled, "You sure do, son. So, what'd you do today?"

"Did our reports, thank god those are done and sent to Marseille. After that, I worked on our list of prospective junior agents, whittled it down to four names out of the original 16."

"16, you had 16 names submitted?"

"Yep and I vetted them…well a few vetted themselves, that agent from London is off the list and a couple from DC. Contacted Major Fleming and he sent me his findings."

"Wow, that's some great work."

"Did I tell you what we're doing? I can't remember!"

"No, don't think so."

"Vance has approved it so I guess it's ok if I talk about it. I want to keep Matt when he finishes his probie year next September. But we don't have a junior now, so my proposal is to bring a junior in for a long term TAD, close to 10 months and then ship them out someplace. Maybe to one of the other European offices, will save the agency some moving expenses."

"So you get to train the junior and your probie the way you want and then send Junior out to work elsewhere. That's a great idea, Tim!"

"Thanks! It just makes sense for us, Matt's going to be an awesome agent and if things work out here he could be a SFA anywhere in a few years."

"You mean he could be your SFA!"

"Maybe, I'm not sure it's a good idea for an agent to only have worked in one office, that's a pretty narrow field of exposure."

"Good point."

"Yeah, so you like the idea?"

"I do!"

"Luckily so does Vance."

"That's good! He's putting together my new team, he's selecting a bunch of agents and then I get to pick and choose."

"Great! Yeah I might as well tell you that I rejected one of the names Vance gave me because I'm hoping you'll want him."

"Oh yeah, who's that or do you feel comfortable saying?"

Tim chuckled, "Went this far, sure. It's Ned Dorneget."

"And why did you reject him?"

"Not for lack of ability, that's for sure. He's worked hard on his shooting, I taught him how to handle a knife last summer and he's good at it, especially with his build. He's taking a mixed martial arts class and has taken all the in-house training on investigation, crime scenes, etc. My only concern was that he hasn't had a permanent post in two years and I didn't think floating again would be good for his career."

"Hmm, I see. Well, I like the guy and he's worked with us before. If he's on the list, I won't have a problem."

"Great to hear, Boss!" Tim went on to tell Gibbs about the plans for the Russell kids' play on Friday night and the reception on the Baton Rouge on Sunday. Gibbs gently teased him again about being a man of the world, wanting to know if he was going to wear his tux Friday night or Sunday. They talked for another few minutes before Gibbs could see that his youngest was tired and he signed off. Tim went upstairs with a smile, today had been an excellent day!


	27. Chapter 27

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Seven

While he didn't quite bounce out of bed Tuesday morning, there was considerably more 'spring' available in his body than there had been even last night. He'd slept straight through, an anomaly he liked a lot; he was rested and ready to take on the world when he awoke.

He was at his desk, nose deep in a cold case file when the others filtered in. He had put aside his list of prospective agents for now, deciding to let the facts percolate a bit and see what Pete was thinking about them. His plan for today was to work cold cases unless a case came in or Pete had something for him. He and Matt were to have dinner this evening with Carla and Norm and he was looking forward to that. He wondered if Carla had had a chance to look into starting a blog. He left a message for Evander that he was ready to start looking again if the real estate agent had anything and that he'd be available Wednesday and Saturday. He'd forgotten about calling Lydia yesterday but figured she and Joel would have been dealing with the fallout from Miller's departure anyway. He'd call her today if he could get a few minutes of privacy; he figured the garden was the best bet for that or Pete's office if his boss went out at lunchtime.

He looked again at the cold case in his hands - it hadn't been updated in ten years. Fifteen years ago, a young ensign had disappeared in the process of transferring from one post to the next. The case had been investigated at first as a UA and then had morphed into a probable kidnapping. No trace of the officer had ever been found, no body, no leads, nothing. For the life of him, Tim could not see what had caused this to be investigated as a kidnapping. Opening the envelope containing the lead agent's personal notes on the case, he began to understand. The SAIC of the Athens office, one Leon Vance, had been ordered to treat the case as a kidnapping. The young ensign was the son of an Admiral and much pressure had been brought to bear to keep the term "UA" out of the file. Vance's notes indicated that he'd spoken with a younger brother who believed that the young man had walked away from his commission. The brother reported his sibling had talked about it for months, how much he hated being in the Navy and that he'd been forced into it by their father. A further note stated that NCIS Director Tom Morrow had dictated they investigate it according to the wishes of the Secretary of the Navy - as a kidnapping. Tim did some research and discovered the brother was now living in France. He found a phone number and called the man. When Tim told him he was an NCIS agent wanting to update his brother's case file, the younger sibling sighed and after a long silence gave him an address in Athens. He didn't say what it was, just gave him the address and hung up.

Tim poked hi s head into Pete's office. "I've got a lead in Athens on an old kidnapping that was probably a walk. "

"Solid?"

"From the guy's younger brother who'd tried to tell NCIS 15 years ago that his brother had walked. Son of an Admiral; SecNav and Morrow played it like a kidnapping. There was no discovery on the case, nothing."

"Whoo, we could close one! All right, I'm coming with you, let's go!" Pete stopped and looked at him when Tim just stood there with a funny look on his face. "Oops, I forgot."

"I'm good, you know. I'll just sit in the car, what's the difference between sitting in a car and sitting behind a desk? I'm more likely to have to run upstairs two or three extra times here and re-injure myself than hurt myself sitting in a car."

"Huh. We both know you won't sit in the car, but you're less than 24 hours away from being cleared for the field. So help me, if you get hurt…"

Tim grinned, "I'll be good."

Tim got behind the wheel and the two took off. Within a few minutes they were at the address Tim had been given. The street was clean and neat, the homes well maintained although not particularly high end. Remembering the two houses in Larissa, Tim knew that meant as little here as it did in the States. The house they wanted was on a corner; they drove around so they could see the back of the house; they spotted a car in a car port and a door at the back of the house, the yard was surrounded by a high wooden fence which would take some time for anyone to jump or climb over. Tim parked behind the car, blocking it.

As Pete was getting out of the car, he ordered Tim, "Unless you hear me yell or a gunshot, you STAY in the car!" They took out their communication devices and tested the audio. Tim nodded; he would not disobey a direct order. He watched as Pete walked out to the street and around the corner. He really didn't like that he couldn't see his partner. Knocking at the front door, Pete was almost surprised to have it opened by a man who looked like an older version of the young ensign.

"NCIS, are you Michael Nicholas Stavros?" The man nodded with an unhappy look on his face. "Yeah, that's me. You finally found me. What happens now?"

"We need to take you back to our office and hold you there, get updates on your life here. We'll contact our JAG offices and see what they want to do with you; we'll go from there." Tim heard the conversation but didn't relax, knowing the man could still panic and try to make a run for it.

"Sorry sir, have to cuff you."

"I understand. My old man put you up to this?"

"Mr. Stavros, Admiral Stavros died five months ago."

"Oh geez, then how…?"

"Cold case file. Just your luck it was picked up by the best agent at NCIS." Pete told Tim it was all clear and to bring the car around. While he waited, Tim peeked in the back gate and noticed a kid's wading pool and other assorted toys. He took the car around front and joined Pete at the front door, showing his badge.

"Mr. Stavros, you have family here?"

"Yeah, my wife's at work, I work swing shift, we have three kids in school."

"When we get to our office, you can contact your wife."

"Wow, this is going to be news to her." Behind the prisoner, Pete and Tim raised eyebrows at each other; the guy had a family and in 15 years had never mentioned he was a fugitive from the US Navy!

They had a quick and quiet ride back to the office, Tim again driving and Pete sitting in the backseat with the fugitive. When they arrived, they sat him down in front of a phone and he called his wife. Then he was offered a bathroom break and declining it, was escorted to their interrogation room and locked in. Matt was given the responsibility of sitting in Observation to make sure the man didn't need anything, didn't ask for anything and didn't cause any problems.

When Matt stood to leave his workstation, he pulled at a drawer, took his weapon out and looked up at Tim for approval. Tim nodded and then pointed at a file on Matt's desk; he could take work in with him as long as he kept one eye on their prisoner. He walked with Matt, giving him a quick update on the case. He needed to be on the phone with Pete and JAG; then he'd be in to relieve Matt. They called the closest JAG office which was in Naples Italy and the officer they spoke with said he would come to them. He sent them his flight number shortly after that, he would arrive in Athens at 07:30 Wednesday morning and would transport the prisoner back to Naples on a return flight at 1300. Tim had his doctor's appointment so wasn't available to pick him up. Pete thought it would be a perfect independent task and good experience for Matt.

As they couldn't leave the prisoner in the interrogation room overnight, Pete explained that the normal procedure was to house their prisoners with the Piraeus PD and they would bill NCIS for the service. While Tim listened in, Pete called the Chief of Police and arranged for a cell for one night. Either Pete would pick him up in the morning or the PD would deliver him. It was nearly 1400 by the time everything was set and neither man had had lunch. Tim hadn't even thought of it but as he headed to his desk, his stomach growled rather loudly. Eva was there and she offered to pop out to the deli and get food for them. Knowing there wasn't much food left in the kitchen both men agreed and gave her their orders and the money for them.

They quickly ate lunch and then prepared their questions for their recovered fugitive. Bringing him a bottle of water, it only took a few minutes to get the details of his fifteen years of hiding in plain sight. Tim updated the file and was just finishing when the man's wife called, distraught. Pete took the call and Tim listened in. Pete hung up after he'd told the woman what would happen next. "Geez, I hope for his family's sake JAG just gives him a slap on the wrist."

"His father might have screwed the pooch for him by insisting on a kidnapping investigation."

"Yeah, but that wasn't the kid's call. Leon was right, you were right, there was absolutely nothing pointing to a kidnapping. It was the old man, SecNav and Morrow who forced that."

**Tim relieved Matt in the Observation room and was just punching in the number he'd been carrying around all day, Lydia's number, when his phone rang. He chuckled to himself when he saw the caller ID, it was Lydia. He wondered what this meant. "Tim McGee" **

**"Agent McGee, this is Lydia Worden in the London office. Am I interrupting anything, do you have a few minutes?" **

**"A couple of minutes, yes, I'm guarding a prisoner right now, Lydia, but he's not going anywhere for awhile." **

**"Agent McGee, I want to apologize for my behavior the other day. That was uncalled for and just plain rude. I've been rude to you before, I ignored you in London and I'm sorry for that as well. I…well, to tell you the truth I was resentful that my junior agent had to go take your place in Athens but even before that, it was like you were the Second Coming or something. And then you went and lived up to that…you know what I mean, with your über successful launch and Joel wouldn't stop talking about you. I was jealous and resentful. And then you saved our asses in Italy with that twit. Honestly…well that's another story. I realized that I was blaming you for a reputation you've clearly worked hard to earn and that's just wrong. I have a friend who works in DC and she told me some of what you've been through in your career and I realized I've been a total bitch to someone who didn't deserve that at all. And now I understand why you've suddenly popped up out of nowhere; it's not suddenly, you're just finally being recognized. I do apologize and I hope we'll be able to work together in the future." **

**Tim was rocked by her admission. "Lydia, thank you, I can't tell you what that means to me and yes I accept your apology. I was a little afraid that was the problem and I'm glad you called, tell you the truth, I was just punching in the numbers to call you. I'm sure we'll be fine working together, maybe we can just start fresh, how's that?" **

**The other SFA responded enthusiastically and further apologized for not calling sooner. Tim stopped her on that one, telling her he was sure there had been plenty to handle in the wake of Miller's dismissal. She got quiet then and asked how he knew about that; he told her Joel had called him Sunday to see how he was after his stay in the hospital and had mentioned it. She hadn't heard about his injury and they talked about it before finally disconnecting. Tim smiled, that was good, he was glad that was resolved. He briefly wondered who she knew in DC. **

Still in Observation, he was sitting down to work on another file when his phone chirped with a call from Jack. He'd called on Saturday and Tim had in turn left him a message on Sunday, letting him know he was healing and would be fine. When Jack started off the call saying he'd heard a rumor that Tim had been in on the cartel takedown, Tim cracked up. "How'd you know man?"

"Talked to Pete yesterday, he said he was getting calls and e-mails from people he hadn't heard from in years. Thought you might be too."

"Well it does have a way of bringing people out of the woodwork!"

"You still doing ok? You sound good!"

"Yeah, I'm doing well, thanks. I'll see the doc tomorrow morning; I'm expecting to be cleared for the field." Tim laughed, "I went out on a lead with Pete, but I stayed in the car until he had the guy in cuffs. I figured sitting in the car was the same as sitting behind a desk, right?"

"Uh yeah sure, I'll buy that; I just wouldn't try and sell it to your doctor!"

"Hey, it was my case, my lead!"

"Oh I totally understand, done it myself. Hey, I guess this might be sort of my business, but have you heard any more about that flaky agent?"

"Canned. Sent back to the States to the unemployment office."

"Huh, I'm not too surprised, guessing that wasn't her only problem then."

"Probably not. Your timing is impeccable; I just got off the phone with the SFA from London, the one who relieved us of agent- sitting duties."

"Oh yeah, that one. What'd she have to say?"

"Apologized, seems she was jealous and resentful of me, pissed at Miller and probably exhausted."

"Huh? She was jealous and resentful, had she ever met you before…oh, you said you'd seen her in London."

"Uh huh. Anyway she called me just as I was dialing her. I accepted her apology and I'll see how we do when we have to work together."

"Proceed with caution then."

"Nah, I think we'll be ok."

"Good, I was beginning to think your London office had some real problems!"

"I think just the one and she's gone. I worked there a month and never saw or heard of any problems."

"That's good!" Tim noticed Stavros moving around restlessly and realized he might need a break. "Hey, Jack, I've gotta go, I'm guarding a prisoner and I need to get him to a restroom, fast. Thanks for calling!"

"Sure, see ya!"

Tim disconnected and hurried to the Interrogation door, quickly unlocking it.

"Agent McGee, I gotta go!"

"Ok, hang on, it's right next door." He guided the former ensign to the restroom next door and back to Interrogation and then sat down across from the man. "In awhile, you'll be taken over to the Police Lockup for the night; they'll feed you dinner and breakfast. In the morning you'll be brought back over here and meet with the JAG officer. Your wife called, Agent Russell spoke with her and told her everything I'm telling you."

Tim looked at his watch, he figured the man wouldn't get any dinner for several hours. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm hungry, but I am."

"Ok, I'll see what we can scrounge up. Anything you're allergic to?" Stavros shook his head. Stepping back out of the room, Tim poked his head into the main office and caught Kim's eye. "Can someone please take a look in the kitchen and see if there's anything we can feed this guy? Even a protein bar would be good…there's one in my pack behind my desk."

Kim nodded, "I'll take a look through the kitchen first, I heard you muttering about grocery shopping yesterday."

"Yeah, that didn't happen! Thanks, Kim."

Tim waited in Interrogation with Stavros. "Agent Russell said 'the best agent' found me. Was that you?"

Tim shook his head, "Don't know about that, but yeah, I reviewed your case file this morning."

"How'd you find me?"

"I called your brother to get his updated information and he gave me the address. Didn't know it was you. "

"Huh, wonder why he did that now?"

"I thought it might have to do with the recent death of Admiral Stavros."

"That son of a bitch! God I hated him."

Tim was relieved when there was a knock on the door. He exited the room and found Matt there with a plate of cheese and crackers and a mug of coffee, with another bottle of water tucked under his arm. "It was either this or make scrambled eggs and toast with your last two eggs and last slice of bread. The coffee's for you."

Tim chuckled, "Thanks! I'll stop on the way back from Carla and Norm's tonight and shop."

"Why don't we ride in one car then, leave my car here and I'll help you carry stuff in. Because you know, you don't want to mess up your appointment tomorrow."

Tim bit back a groan, man this was getting old. "Yeah ok man thanks."

Matt grinned at him. "You know we've been through this with Carla, only she was far worse."

"Much better reason though." Tim quickly stashed his coffee in Observation and then escorted Matt into Interrogation. The prisoner was happy to see the food and they left him to it.

By 1700, the prisoner had been delivered to the police lockup and Tim had updated his case file with all the updated information. He saved everything and sent the file to Pete, in case he was delayed at the hospital in the morning. He'd brought his jacket downstairs with him this morning so all he needed to do was lock up his laptop and wait for Matt. The younger man was also ready so they headed out to Carla and Norm's in Tim's car. They stopped on the way for tomatoes; Norm had called during the afternoon and asked them to pick up some.

Norm answered the door, "Hey guys, good to see you! Come on in and go see Carla before you do anything else. She's in the living room, in the recliner." He stopped Tim as he walked by him and looked at him searchingly. "You don't look battered."

Tim chuckled, "Under my clothes. Trust me - I'm a rainbow of colors!"

Carla had the chair in full recline to accommodate her now substantial pregnancy bump and was reaching out to Matt for an awkward hug when they walked in. Tim smiled; he knew Matt was happy and relieved to see her.

Norm served them tiny potatoes and slices of roast chicken. Tim tasted garlic and something different, he thought maybe it was rosemary and definitely olive oil. They sat in the living room to eat so that Carla could be part of the group. Tim saw that she was uncomfortable and her 'bump' seemed to have grown considerably since he'd seen her. He added up the weeks and wondered if the babies were far enough along yet. Norm nodded, guessing what he was thinking.

"If we have the babies now, they'll have to stay in the hospital for a bit, but they should be fine, they're developed enough now. The problem will be their lungs but medicine has advanced tremendously and under-developed lungs are treated successfully every day."

"Have you got names picked out?"

"Yeah, we decided we'd better do that as Hofstadler is kind of a tough name to match. "

"We've been calling them Huey, Dewey and Luella, but we're actually not sure about Dewey, that baby has been very shy about sharing!"

"Yeah, so we've picked names for two girls and two boys."

Matt grinned, "Do we have to wait?"

Carla chuckled, "Not necessary, of course we may not know about Dewey until he or she is born!"

Norm nodded, "Boys names are William and Jason and will have Carla's maiden name, Santos, as the middle name."

Carla smiled, "Girls names are Samantha and Camilla. Middle names are still to be determined but might also be Santos."

Tim nodded, "Those are great names."

"Thanks, we've been saying them aloud to make sure we like the sound of the whole name. William will be Will, not Bill and we figure Jason will be shortened to Jase. Samantha to Sam and Camilla might be Cam or Cammy."

Tim said the names aloud with Hofstadler and nodded, "Yeah, those go very well."

Matt looked upstairs, "Is the nursery ready?"

Norm shook his head. "Almost! I finally got it painted and the furniture we ordered will be delivered next week. Pete said he'd come help me with it but if either of you would like to pitch in, the more the merrier!"

Tim looked at Matt and they both nodded, "Sure be happy to, especially since Pete will know what he's doing!"

Carla snorted, "Well Trina will be here too so we'll see who's the expert! Now, enough about me and the babies. I want details from both of you! Matt, you first!"

Knowing she meant about the big bust, the two men kept their hosts entertained for the next hour. When they were finished, Matt pointed to Tim. "He broke a cold case today, Carla, just like that."

He snapped his fingers. "Tim?"

"It was a purported kidnapping but there was nothing in the file that supported that, nothing. The original agent had spoken to the guy's brother and he'd said he was sure he'd just walked away. Turns out he was right, the missing ensign has been living in Athens with his wife and three kids for the past 15 years."

Carla of course wanted details so Tim told her what he could. Since the case was still open, he couldn't divulge everything. When he thought he'd said all he could, he mentioned the reception on the Baton Rouge on Sunday. That generated more conversation and then Norm wanted to know how the car was running and if he'd looked at any more apartments. They spent nearly another hour talking; by that time all three men noticed that Carla had been quiet for several minutes and seemed to be even more uncomfortable. Matt looked at Tim and he shrugged.

Norm leaned over his wife, "Honey, how bad?"

"Worse than two weeks ago, not as bad as last month."

"Ok, guys we need to get to the hospital."

"Anything we can do?"

"Maybe. Carla, car or ride?"

"Ride."

"Ok, I'm going to call for an ambulance and our doctor, if you could stay with her for a minute?" They nodded and Matt reached out and took Carla's hand. Tim tried to think of practical things, "Carla, do you have a bag or anything that you take with you?"

She nodded, "Upstairs, next to my bed, it's pink and blue, says "Mommy's Bag" on it.

"Ok, I'll get that." Tim headed upstairs and found the master bedroom and the bag, not that he could have missed the pink and blue polka-dots.

When he walked downstairs he realized he could already hear a siren. Looking at his watch, he wondered if he should call Pete. But she'd said it wasn't as bad as last month so hopefully that meant they could again stop her labor. Making a decision, he silently invoked Rule 18 as he punched Pete's contact info. "Tim, trouble?"

"We're with Carla and Norm; she's on her way to the hospital again."

"Car or ambulance?"

"Ambulance, they just got here."

"Shit! Ok, tell Norm one of us will be at the hospital."

"I can stay with your kids, Pete."

"Yeah, that'd be good, Tim, they're not quite old enough to leave alone." He gave Tim the address.

"Ok, I'm going to check with Matt, see what he wants to do. I'll be there as soon as I can." The medics were working on Carla and Matt was standing nearby.

Tim put his hand on his shoulder, "She'll be ok, Matt, they'll be ok. I'm going to head over to the Russells and stay with their kids so Pete and Trina can both go to the hospital. Do you want to come with me or maybe drive Norm's car to the hospital, stay there for awhile?"

"I'm…I want to go to the hospital, Tim."

"Ok bud; let's get the keys from Norm."

"Yeah." Matt got the keys from Norm and the two men watched as Carla was carefully helped onto the gurney and wheeled out to the ambulance, Norm crawling in after her. Matt locked the front door and climbed in Norm's new car while Tim drove to Pete and Trina's home.


	28. Chapter 28

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Eight

Tim was sound asleep in the guest room, the one he'd stayed in just the other day, when his cell phone chirped. He woke enough to grab for it and make a noise. "Erm."

"Tim, it's Pete."

That woke him up. "How's Carla?"

"She's in Recovery with three babies. They decided to do an emergency C-section."

"She's ok, babies are ok? Norm's ok?"

"Yeah, Carla's ok, still out of it from the anesthetic but they said she'll be fine and the babies are in decent shape. They're pretty small, they're in the preemie section of the nursery and Norm's there now, meeting them."

"So two boys, one girl, two girls, one boy?"

"Let's see, there's Jason, Camilla and William."

"So Dewey is a boy after all."

Pete chuckled, "Yep."

"How are you and Trina holding up - and Matt? Everything's fine here, I wrote a note to the kids right under your note."

"Ok good, thanks. We're fine, it's a heck of a lot easier when it's not your own! Matt's fine… actually he's asleep."

"You going to stay for awhile?"

"Yeah, when Norm gets back he'll call Carla's sister and his brother. Cafeteria opens for breakfast at 05:30 so we'll take him to get something to eat then Matt can take my car to the airport; Trina and I will take Norm's car and swap out at some point. What time is your doctor's appointment?"

"08:15"

"Ok, then would you mind waiting until the kids leave for school? Carpool will pick them up about 7:20."

"Sure, no problem. What do they normally have for breakfast?"

"Don't worry about that, they'll get their own…you make sure you eat too. I'll call Kim at some point, tell her the news. There's an extra key to the front door in the top drawer to the left of the dishwasher, just please lock up when you leave. Ahh, I'll head into the office when Matt calls from the airport, need one of us there with JAG. I'll call the Chief and ask him to have his people transport Stavros back to us and put him in Interrogation and stay there. Kim has the authority but she's not armed, I'd prefer they do it."

Tim had to think about that and he didn't like it. "You mean the Piraeus Police Department will bring our prisoner back and sit with him, guard him? In the NCIS building?"

"Yeah."

"Is that in the legal agreement with the PD?"

"Uh, no."

Tim did not like this at all. "Pete, I'm really uncomfortable with this, I'll reschedule my doctor's appointment for later in the morning after you're back."

"No you will not. That's our number one priority."

"I'm going to have to disagree with you about that. Guarding our prisoner and making sure nothing happens to taint the case should be our number 1 priority. Seems to me NCIS, an American agency, has the responsibility to guard our own prisoner. He hasn't broken any laws of the Greek Republic."

"Tim, don't worry about it."

"I can't do that Pete. Look, you go have breakfast, I'll get the kids off to school and then head over to the office."

"Kim's perfectly capable…"

"I'm sure she is, but she's not a federal agent, she's not armed. Pete, that's the U.S. flag flying over our building, our office is a little slice of U.S. territory. Yes, it's not the same as an embassy but from what I've read it's pretty damn close. I cannot in good conscience allow law enforcement from another country, no matter how friendly, stand guard over a prisoner of the U.S. government, on our property. He is our responsibility."

"Timothy!"

"Look, it's no big deal; I'll reschedule my appointment for later in the morning when you and Matt are in the office." Tim disconnected and looked at the clock; it was just 03:00 which meant three more hours to sleep. Except that he couldn't, he was reeling with what Pete had said, thinking he must have been tired beyond belief to have even thought of that scenario. Well, their first disagreement was bound to happen sometime, he just hadn't expected it at three in the morning. He drifted off again and woke at 05:45. He decided to take a quick shower before the kids started waking and getting ready for school. The hot shower felt good and he felt much better as he dressed and then headed to the kitchen. He grinned as he heard a coffeemaker gurgling. He grabbed a mug and had his first cup while he thought about what he wanted for breakfast. With JAG there, it would be a long morning so he decided to go for a full meal – eggs, bacon and toast with a side of yogurt. He found bagels in the freezer and decided to take them into work, figuring with everything going on they might need a mid-morning snack. He added a note to the one he'd left last night that he owed them a bag of bagels. By 06:45 the kids were dressed and eating breakfast, excited about the babies. Stephan found the extra house key for him and Tim put it on his own key ring to give back to Pete later. Their teeth brushed, hair combed, uniforms on straight, book bags with the right student, all four of them were ready for the carpool when the other parent arrived. To Tim's amusement, all four of the kids hugged him before they left. He went back in, brushed his own teeth, put the dishes in the dishwasher and since it was full, started it up. Everything back in his go bag, bagels in a tote Kyra had found for him, he made a quick call to Kim. She was just leaving for the office. When he told her he was on his way in, she told him she was relieved.

Tim had just walked into the office when the Piraeus PD drove up with Stavros. He put him back in Interrogation and then called the doctor's office to reschedule for 10 AM. He'd grabbed a few files and was in Observation when Kim came in with coffee and a generous slice of coffee cake. Tim looked through the window at Stavros, he looked tired. Leaving Kim in Observation, he stuck his head in Interrogation, "If you want to take a nap, man, go ahead. JAG won't be here for awhile." The man nodded and put his head down on the table.

Stavros was asleep and Tim was reviewing files in Observation when Pete got to the office thirty minutes later. He had been upset when he saw Tim's car in the parking lot, but Trina had calmed him down, pointing out that the young man could not be damned for doing his duty. Pete finally understood he was mostly upset with his own bad call. He didn't have much of a temper but he'd been up all night and worried they were going to lose Carla and/or the babies. He was just getting out of the car when Matt pulled in with the two JAG officers. He stopped and waited for them and was introduced to Col. Davies and Capt. Dupree and was told their flight out of Naples had been delayed due to a storm rolling through. They walked in together; Eva and Tea were both at the front desk so he asked Eva to show the JAG officers to the kitchen for coffee. Then he grabbed Matt and they went to check on their teammate and fugitive. Tim had tired of sitting and was pacing, file in hand when they came in. They exchanged greetings although Matt thought Tim sounded different. He mentally shrugged; he was tired, he was sure it was his imagination.

Tim was happy to see his teammates, although he wasn't sure what his standing was with Pete. He'd worry about that later. He realized again it was the first thing Pete had done that he'd disagreed with. He understood Carla and Norm were dear friends but he'd felt strongly that one of them should be there when they had a prisoner in the building. Kim was not a federal agent. Yes, she had some authority that Pete had delegated to her but she was not armed nor was she trained and if the police officers had stayed to guard Stavros, they could very well have had to turn Stavros loose. A defense attorney could poke holes in the custody arrangement since he'd been guarded by law enforcement not only outside of NCIS but of a different country. The overnight custody arrangements had been hammered out legally and there were signed legal documents. He guessed Pete saw this morning's delivery and stay as an extension of that, but he still didn't feel right about it. Tim was feeling very strongly about his decision. Pete parked Matt in Observation and turned to head for the kitchen. Tim followed, feeling like he was back in DC. He shrugged, nobody was perfect. He was introduced to the two JAG attorneys; he grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and motioned to them. They followed him to the hallway and into Observation. Tim summoned Matt into the hallway and had him cover him while he gave the prisoner the bottle of water. This guy might be nonviolent but Tim was following strict protocol; he'd once witnessed a seemingly placid prisoner take advantage of an agent with his hands full, the prisoner had been subdued and the agent was uninjured but Tim had adhered to that particular protocol ever since. The two JAG officers observed the prisoner for a few minutes and then went in to question him. Tim stayed in Observation and sent Matt back to work. His phone alarm alerted him to his rescheduled doctor's appointment; he called Matt and asked him to step back in. When he walked into the main office he didn't see Pete, so he told Kim he was going to his doctor's appointment. She looked at him quizzically, "I thought that was this morning, early?"

"I rescheduled it. I shouldn't be long. Have you seen Pete?"

"I think he's outside." Tim nodded and decided to pop his head out the kitchen door. He looked out and saw his boss sitting with his back toward the building. "Pete, I'm headed out to the doc's, won't be long. Matt's in Observation." Pete didn't turn but raised a hand in acknowledgement; Tim closed the door and walked out to his car.

As he'd hoped, the doctor was pleased with his progress and signed the papers releasing him from all restrictions, although she did warn him not to lift anything over 40 pounds for another 5 days and told him he could not resume any active martial arts until the following Monday. When he questioned that, she said he could practice but she didn't want him defending or learning any new moves until he was farther along in his healing. She made it simple, if it hurts, stop. He grinned as he took the papers from her and left for the office.

When he returned, the two JAG officers were outside in the garden, discussing their next steps. Pete was in Observation, the others were at their desks. Tim decided telling Pete he was cleared for the field now was a better idea than waiting, although he would have been happy at this point to just put the papers on Pete's desk. Despite his best efforts, he was really struggling not to return to his tried and true "Gibbs is mad at me" persona which included being as quiet and invisible as possible. It wasn't just Gibbs; he'd learned it early in his life after his stepmother came to live with them. Physically and mentally tired, he headed into the kitchen for coffee. He was just pouring the dark brew into his mug when he heard footsteps behind him. Half turning, he saw it was Kim. "Pete's mad at himself, Tim; whatever happened this morning, he's not mad at you."

Tim nodded, "Good to know, Kim, thanks." He turned to face her, "I just hope our 'good luck fairy' stays with us as I'm pretty sure I'm the only one qualified to be out in the field today."

Kim nodded, "Yeah, I wondered about that, both Matt and Pete seem pretty tired. But you came in this morning so…you weren't here last night? Not that it's any of my business!"

"That's ok. No, Matt and I were at the Hofstadlers for dinner and then Carla needed to go to the hospital and Matt wanted to go too. I called Pete and ended up staying there with the kids so both Trina and Pete could go to the hospital and they were there, along with Matt, all night."

"Ohhh, now it's all starting to make sense. But…the babies were born about 2 AM, right? Why couldn't Pete be here this morning?" Tim shrugged; he was not getting into Pete's decision to take personal time.

"Don't know and I am sorry, I was so focused on Stavros this morning I never thought of explaining any of this."

"That's ok, I just knew I got a phone call from Pete saying I'd be on my own with the prisoner and that the police would stay and then you called saying you were coming in."

Tim chuckled, "Nothing confusing about that, right?!"

'"I was so relieved I didn't care!"

She started as the kitchen door squeaked open and Tim had to bite back a chuckle. He hoped the JAG officers had come to some decision; he would really like to put this case behind them. They asked to speak with both Pete and him, Kim slipped out saying she would have Matt relieve Pete in Observation. As soon as Pete joined them the two officers told them they were taking Stavros back to Naples for court martial, but that their collective gut feeling was that he would probably be given a short sentence. Pete nodded and went with the officers to break the departure news to Stavros and prepare him for transport. As both officers were armed, NCIS was not expected to escort them to the airport or on the plane. They left and Kim and Eva set about cleaning Interrogation. Tim went back to his desk and stared some more at his junior agent list. Whoever it was going to be, he or she needed to get here as soon as possible; they could not keep running short of agents like this! Suddenly he realized that with all his introspection and inner struggles, he'd forgotten to give Pete his clearance for the field papers. He grabbed them and headed into Pete's office.

"Tim, good, I just realized I hadn't heard whether it was good news this morning."

"Sorry, I got sidetracked with JAG and everything."

"Sit for a minute, Timothy. I want to talk with you about this morning." Tim sank into the chair. "You were right, 100% right, not just about guarding the prisoner but about letting me know how uncomfortable you were with it. You were following my order to tell me and I am sorry, that was a bad call on my part and I'm grateful you called me out on it."

Tim was relieved to say the least. "I just figured you were tired."

"No excuse, I had no business staying at the hospital this morning. That was personal, staying the whole night was personal, letting Matt stay all night was personal. Carla's my friend but she's going to kick my ass when she hears what I did. I left our team exposed. If we have a callout today, Tim, you're the only one fit enough to go out. That's inexcusable." Tim didn't know what to say as his own feelings were very close to what Pete had just said. "Ok, so keep calling me out when I do dumbass things like that."

"I will and I trust you'll do the same with me. And remember that you're human, I'm human…we all are."

"Yeah, ok. So…I saw you staring at your monitor, back to the JA list?"

"Yeah. Whoever we pick needs to get here fast!"

Pete huffed, "You need to find a place to live, although I suppose he or she could just stay in the other room."

Tim shook his head, "Mm, hope not! Evander's picking me up at 1630 to look at more places and then we'll go again on Saturday."

"Woo, it's going to be a busy weekend – play, apartment hunting, reception."

Tim grinned, "That's the best kind as far as I'm concerned – unless we're coming off a case, then I want peace and quiet. What's the dress code for the play?"

"Uh, whatever you want. Trina wants to dress up a little bit, being mother of two kids in the play sort of thing, so I might wear a suit. Other than your tux, you're fine with anything."

"I was thinking about my new suit, it'll be ready Thursday night."

"You had Archimedes make you one?"

Tim nodded, "I know it'll fit better than anything I could buy off the rack and it'll last longer. Price wasn't bad."

Pete grinned, "He's made tuxes and suits for me too. And I think he made Leon's when he was here."

"Ok, what about Sunday?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely wearing a suit. Although I hope Trina won't wear a dress. That gets a little weird aboard ship."

"Especially if we have a tour."

Pete nodded. "Ok, so tell me who you're thinking for the JA?"

"I think we should interview our current list and go from there."

"All right, ask Tea to set up the interviews for late afternoon Thursday. Oh, are you going to class tomorrow night?"

"Depends on the interviews. It'd be great to do them all tomorrow."

"You say that now, wait until you've asked the same questions to four different people and try to remember who said what."

"Hmm, good point. What about 2 tomorrow and 2 on Friday? The play's not until 2000, oh but you need to be home and everything, I remember…nerves and stage fright and forgetting whole pages of dialogue."

"Rob or Sarah?"

Tim chuckled, "Both! Too bad we can't just call one of them this afternoon and see if he or she has time."

"Do it! Hey, this is urgent, our JA will need to get used to that. If Tea can find one available at 1500 today, that gives us 90 minutes before Evander gets here and if we run over, Kim can join me."

"Ok, I'll go talk with Tea and then get to work on our questions."

"Sure, hey it's almost time for lunch; want to work on this over lunch?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Ok, I'll see if someone can get lunch in for us."

Tim laughed, "I think it's my turn to go."

"You and Kim held the fort down this morning, why don't you see if she wants some fresh air." Tim nodded as he left the office and then stopped as he spotted Matt sound asleep at his desk. He was going to have to do something about that; Gibbs would have sent him home however Tim didn't think that would be fair considering everything. He shook his head, his probie needed to think about his job first. It was a fact of life; this was not a job where you could count on just skating through a day. He woke Matt up and told him to go upstairs and sleep for two hours. Matt opened his mouth to argue but decided against it. He headed upstairs. Tim heard Pete come out from his office and he turned to look at him. Pete nodded. Tim grabbed his prospective junior agent list from his desk and took it to Tea, asking her to see if she could find one of the prospects who would agree to an interview at 1500. With the time differences, that narrowed the possibilities down to those on the East Coast and even then it was pretty early to call anyone. Tea said she'd wait until 1300 as that would give her the early birds. Tim bit back a smile as he told her 0700 was the regular starting time for many teams. They put together what she needed to say and what message she could leave. Satisfied, Tim gathered Kim who had already taken lunch orders and called them in. They set off for the deli.

"Pete apologize?"

"Yeah and now seeing Matt sound asleep at his desk, he's realized just how screwed we'd be if we get a call out." He stopped Kim. "Carla ever send anyone home?"

"Um, yes for coming to work drunk."

"Oh GEEZ! With a team of three, a federal agent?"

"Yeah, that was the junior who fled to the States, Kyle." Kim paused, "Are you thinking of sending Matt home?"

"Can't do that as long as Pete's still in the office. I may just send both of them home."

"What will you do if…?"

"Don't know. If we were in DC I'd take us off rotation but that won't work here. I can't call anyone and ask them to cover us for the day!"

"Wow, this is a mess."

"Nah, it's not but it could be and it's a lesson for us all, we need to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Their order was ready by the time they got there and they only had a short wait to pay. Tim was calmer by the time they got back, the fresh air and talk with Kim had helped. He thought he'd let Matt sleep till 1600 unless they got a call out. Tomorrow would be soon enough to set him straight about staying up all night and expecting to perform as a federal agent. He huffed to himself, they'd done it many times on Gibbs' team when they'd been working a case but once again, they had backup, a whole building full of agents plus their entire team was experienced. He had Ted and Jack as backup and sooner or later they were going to be busy with CIA work. And really, how often could they be pulled in to do another agency's work?

Taking his lunch and Pete's into his office, the two men quickly came up with their questions and what they'd want to talk about. Pete asked Tim if he'd thought about sending Matt home and Tim told him what he'd told Kim. Pete nodded, that was only right. Tea interrupted them to let them know she'd found an early bird who could interview at 1400 but was not available to start at 1500. She'd scheduled it for 1400 and wanted to know if she should continue looking for 1500 or 1530?

Matt was still upstairs when Tim rejoined Pete in his office for their first interview at 1400. The interviewee was currently working as a second junior in an office only budgeted for one. He'd done his probie year there and was waiting for reassignment. He'd listed Italian and the Tosk dialect of Albania as his language skills. They had a good interview with the young man; he was bright, enthusiastic and thoughtful. He had learned the language from an Albanian exchange student who had been a friend in high school and had worked afterward to keep his skill levels up. When questioned about living close to and possibly having to work cases in the combustible Middle East, the young man said he'd thought about it, that he figured the world was small enough now that anywhere could be a 'hot spot'. He had several questions about their operations and a few about transferring overseas which Tim fielded, explaining he was himself a recent transfer. All in all, they were satisfied with the results when they ended the call.


	29. Chapter 29

And now debuting Gibbs' new e-mail address; kudos to DS2010 for her suggestion! Remember that way back in Ch. 15? Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions, it was a tough choice and Gibbs just might need to have multiple e-mail addresses. Enjoy!

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Twenty Nine

Tim was just finishing up his notes at 1630 when Evander came in. Matt was still asleep upstairs. Shaking his head, Pete sent Tim on his way promising he would wake their probie and have a chat with him about what could have gone wrong today.

Evander looked at Tim as they drove off the lot. "A little stressed today?"

Tim smiled, "I'll cross my fingers for good luck when I say this Evander; it could have been a lot worse!"

"Well I hope you'll enjoy our viewings tonight. I have two more apartments, a condo and a house for you to look at."

"A house?"

"Yes, it's a rental so you would not be responsible for maintenance. I think you'll be pleased with it, I hope you will love it!"

"I'm intrigued!"

Evander laughed, "First we will look at an apartment, then the condominium, the second apartment and lastly the house."

"Ok, sounds great!" Tim was quickly relaxing.

The drive to the first place was much shorter than their last trip out. By Tim's watch, it only took 8 minutes from the office to the first apartment. When he got out of the car, he stood and looked at the building. It appeared to be fairly new; Evander confirmed it had been constructed five years ago. It was a small complex with 40 units built around a center courtyard that featured shade trees and a swimming pool. The unit they were viewing was close to the gated entrance, not close enough to be noisy with the security gate opening and shutting but close enough for a quick exit on a callout. The apartments were all townhouse style, two stories and sharing just one wall with an adjacent apartment. The living area downstairs was pleasant and with a large picture window that had a nice view of the courtyard garden so there was some privacy there; it was not visible from the pool. The kitchen was modern with a full size refrigerator and had what Tim thought of as a breakfast counter separating the 'dining area' from the living room. There was a short hall off the living room with a full bath and bedroom large enough for Tim's writing desk, some of his bookshelves and a full sized bed. Tim smiled at Evander when he saw that. Upstairs, there was a large window to their left at the top of the staircase, bringing in a lot of natural light. Down the hall there was a good sized guest bedroom with the bathroom across the hall and a small covered alcove with a washer and dryer. At the end of the hall was the large master bedroom suite. It was big enough to fit Tim's king size bed and additional furniture if he wanted. Once again, the closet covered the shared wall while the en suite bathroom was back to back with the hall bathroom. It was a nice apartment and Tim could see himself living here. He liked it far better than any of the places he and Evander had seen their first time out.

While Evander drove them to their next destination, Tim gave him his review of the place, which pleased his agent. "You see, I've done much better this time out, now that I have a better understanding of what you're looking for!"

"You sure have, this is exciting now!"

Their next stop was the condo. Tim thought the architecture looked more Spanish than Greek but he really hadn't seen enough of the local style to judge. The condo was in a small gated complex, although the entrance to the unit was outside the gate. Tim didn't like that much. The unit, which was close to the busy street, had three stories with the master suite taking up the entire third floor. The kitchen was small but he could deal with it. There was a storage room opposite and Evander explained that other units had their storage units out on their patio but because of the location of this unit there was no room for it. The patio was indeed tiny with barely enough room for a small table and perhaps two chairs. There were two planting beds, one was bare and the other had a large messy tree, almost completely cutting out the sunlight but Tim could also see it blocked the view from the apartment across the street which would have probably been looking right down into the patio. The living room and dining area looked out onto the patio and because the patio was so small, the tree so large and three sides surrounded by the rest of the condo it was quite dark, which in turn left both the living room and the dining area dark. There was a half bath on the first floor along with a room Tim thought might hold his desk but not much else. The staircase was well lit but Tim thought he'd have to have the lights on even in the middle of the day. The second floor had two bedrooms and one bathroom. Neither room was especially large but Tim thought he could squeeze a full-sized bed in each. The third level opened right up into the staircase which Tim didn't especially like. It was large, although not as large as the master in the apartment had been and the shared wall was not as cleverly designed as the other places had been. The closet would be fine for Tim but he wondered at the relatively small size. The en suite bathroom was a little small but had everything it needed and it looked in good shape. When Tim asked about laundry facilities, Evander took him down to the second floor, into one of the bedrooms and to the window. They peered over the gate into the complex, just below the bedroom window, and to the narrow door in the clubhouse. "There, the laundry room is in there."

"So I'd have to carry my laundry downstairs, out onto the sidewalk, through the gate and into the laundry room?"

"Yes."

"Is it coin operated?"

"Yes."

Tim mentally crossed this place off the list. Too many things he didn't like; however he continued with his questions. "Parking?"

"There is street parking in front, of course and you would have an assigned covered parking space at the back of the complex. Would you like to see it?" Tim shrugged, might as well complete the tour. They walked out the front door, down the walkway to the sidewalk, over to the next walkway and up it to the gate, buzzed in which Tim thought could probably be heard in the room they'd just looked out of and continued past the fenced and gated pool which was full of kids. And that was fine until Tim spotted a baby in a diaper in the pool and shuddered, no thanks. They finally came to the parking lot at the back and Tim saw how far it would be to haul groceries or anything to the unit. He smiled and shook his head at Evander, "Have to say, I'm not wild about this place! And the rent is higher too!"

Evander nodded and steered him back to the car, not wanting to mention that his boss had practically ordered him to show The American the unit. The second apartment was two blocks away; Evander estimated it would be a 6 minute drive to the office which earned him a grin from Tim. It was two bedrooms and an extra room and Tim again thought it would be fine but he liked the first apartment better. And he really wanted to see the house.

On their way to the house, they drove past the office and Tim smiled to himself, oh yeah, this could be good. Two minutes up the hill and Evander turned into a driveway with lush landscaping on both sides reminding Tim of Pete and Trina's home. He said as much and Evander told him the same architect and builder had worked on both houses. Tim's eyes lit up at that.

There was a tiled entrance although smaller than the Russells' and not personalized, and a beautifully carved door with side panel frosted windows, providing light and privacy. The foyer was a smaller scale than Pete and Trina's and led to a comfortably sized living room and dining area. The kitchen was very much like the Russells and Tim headed for a doorway in the back of the room to see if it led to a hallway and a guest bedroom. It did, with the same full bath Tim had enjoyed during his stays. Dying to see the backyard, he slid open the patio door and saw that while it was a smaller scale, the gardens and pool were every bit as lovely. Back inside, they headed upstairs and Tim smiled as he saw the second and third bedrooms with the bathroom accessible to both, called a 'Jack and Jill' in the U.S., with the master suite down the hall.

The whole place was beautiful and he wanted it. He knew with utilities it would cost more but he also figured it would be worth it. If he had to, he could rent out a room to help with the rent, but he didn't think that would be necessary. He'd put his office either in the room downstairs or one up here and there'd still be room for a bed. He'd need furniture and wondered if he could find any secondhand. When he was finally ready to go downstairs he stood in the living room and stared at what was there. "It's too bad I can't just buy these things, they're perfect here."

Evander chuckled. "The owner would probably love to leave them here. They are college professors and will be in Argentina for three years. If you don't want the furniture, they'll have to sell or store it. I'm sure we could make some agreement."

Tim nodded, "That would be great! Except for the bed in the master, I have a king size so don't need the queen." He stopped and thought. "I could swap out the double bed in one of the other rooms for the queen sized."

"Yes and you could store the double bed in the garage."

"Oh good idea."

"Come, we have not yet seen the laundry room or the garage."

Tim happily followed and made appropriate noises at the laundry room and was thrilled with the garage. He'd never had a garage before, but then as an adult he'd only lived in one house, Mrs. Ferguson's, prior to this one. When he told Evander he wanted this place, he wasn't the least bit surprised when his friend and agent pulled out a rental agreement. They sat at the table and filled out the paperwork.

Evander told him he had another advantage in not having to wait until he moved in, he had no notice to give anywhere, he could just move his clothes over and he would be in. All the appliances and kitchen items would be left along with the furniture. In fact, Tim was told he could decide what he didn't want and if he didn't want to store it in the garage, Evander would contact the owners. Tim thought he'd leave everything for now and wait until his stuff got here to see if anything needed changing. He privately thought it would be his industrial look bookshelves that would go, although they could be used in the garage. Evander promised to contact the owners that evening and drop by the office on Thursday with any additional paperwork and hopefully the key and the remote for the garage door.

They were both hungry and decided to head down to the Flying Pig for a pub dinner. Tim ordered a souvlaki and Evander had a gyro. Tim had decided to try a different beer whenever he came in and therefore ordered one he hadn't had before. Evander thought that was a good idea and followed suit. They drank to the successful house hunt and enjoyed their dinners. Tim had hoped to be finished in time to visit Carla and the babies but decided he'd go at lunchtime on Thursday; he was tired and wanted to get home and get some sleep. Although he thought he might first call everyone he knew to tell them about the house. When he got back to the office, he locked up and turned off the light some thoughtful person had left on for him. Grabbing his laptop, he belatedly remembered his injury and stopped himself from running upstairs.

He texted Rob and Sarah and heard back from both almost immediately. Rob was at the pub with James and they were going to a Bond marathon after they ate. Sarah was at a surprise going away lunch and didn't know when she'd be home. Both expressed happiness about the house. Looking at his watch, Tim thought he could call Ducky or Gibbs. Realizing he and Ducky hadn't had a conversation by themselves in awhile made the decision for him. He was about to initiate the Skype session when he looked at the time. Ducky would be at work. He laughed at himself because he had no trouble figuring out what time it was when he called Sarah but when he wanted to call Ducky or Gibbs he guessed his subconscious figured that if he was done with work for the day, they should be too. He hit Gibbs' contact info on Skype but he evidently was not online at the moment. Tim decided that was a sign he should get some sleep. He sent a quick e-mail to Ducky, Jimmy and Gibbs, whose new e-mail address 'coffeeorelse' cracked him up, that was too funny! He left his e-mail up while he got ready for bed and saw a new message from Ducky when he returned from brushing his teeth. It was from Ducky and Jimmy and was full of congratulations and a demand for photos of his new house. Tim shook his head; he'd been so entranced he hadn't taken a single photo, never even thought of it! He promised photos the next time he was over there and after sending that, signed off. Once again he was afraid he wouldn't be able to sleep and proved himself wrong.

He bounced out of bed the next morning, thinking that along with everything else going on today, he could finally contact the moving company and have his belongings shipped. Once the container reached Greece, a local moving company would pick it up and deliver it. That was fine with Tim, moving his king sized bed upstairs would not be a whole lot of fun! He showered, dressed, ate and was at his desk booting up his computer by 0700.

Pete came in shortly after, carrying a bag of pastries. "I know they won't be as good as Tea's but they are fresh from the bakery." Tim took one that Pete said was called a bougatsa, a breakfast pastry filled with custard, the top lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar. When Tim looked it up online, he found the pastry was said to have originated in the Macedonia region of Greece, in the northern part of the country and that the name came from the Turkish _Pogača_ which shares the name with the Italian _Foccacia_ (from the ancient Roman _panis focacius_). The pastry smelled so wonderful that Tim stopped working to savor every delicious bite. When he finished it, he poured another cup of coffee and stood in front of Pete's desk, using what he knew was his very persuasive 'puppy eye' look. Pete laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair and could do no more than hold the bag out for Tim to take another pastry. Grinning, Tim took his treasure back to his desk. He couldn't keep doing this! The doctor had said he could resume his morning run over the weekend, he thought he'd better move that up a day to Friday. He'd seen Kim with a smoothie one morning and thought that would be a great breakfast routine for him, a healthier alternative to what he'd been eating.

After he'd satisfied his greedy taste buds a second time,Tim distracted himself by reviewing the schedule of interviews Tea had set up for them. He opened his spreadsheet and saw that Pete had updated it with his notes. He moved onto his e-mail and laughed when he saw a note forwarded by Pamela from Rick Carter, asking for his electronic help with a case and then the words…'just kidding, we really miss you and are hearing great things'.

He hadn't yet checked his personal e-mail and took a minute to do that. There was a note from Gibbs telling him he was sorry he'd missed him, he'd been at an appointment and he was thrilled to hear about the house and hoped for pictures soon. It was only then that Tim realized he hadn't told Pete.

He headed back into the man's office and shook his head with his eyes closed when Pete offered the bag again. "No, no more, thank you. They're too delicious and I'll have to have Archimedes let all the seams out of my new suit before I can wear it! So…you haven't asked how I did with house hunting last night."

Pete sat up in his chair, "Ooh and my investigative skills tell me you wouldn't be prompting me if you hadn't found something!"

Tim decided to tease him a little and gave a description of the house followed by a description of the condo, stated with an increasingly enthusiastic voice. Pete frowned at him and Tim started laughing. "The house, Pete, I'm renting the house and it's by the same architect and builder as yours!"

"The one up the street, the college professors?"

"Yes, you know them?"

"I've never met them but Norm works with one of them."

Tim filled him in on what they were doing and the deal on the house and Pete let out a whoop startling Eva who had just come in. "That's great, Tim, and they're leaving the furniture?"

"Yeah, I don't have much at all, really just my bed some shelves and a couch, so this is perfect!"

"Huh, well if you need anything more, Norm and Carla have stuff they had to move out of a bedroom to put the nursery together and we have stuff in the garage."

"Great! There are some paintings and things on the walls that aren't quite my style, I'll replace those eventually."

"Trina will be happy to help!"

"That'll be great."

"She'll be helping Carla for awhile when she comes home from the hospital and maybe when the babies come home but the plan is for Carla's sister to come over for a couple of months and possibly Norm's sister-in-law."

Tim nodded, "Yeah, three infants, I can't even imagine. The idea of one terrifies me!"

Pete just laughed at him. "When are you going to move?"

"Probably Saturday, I don't see any reason to wait."

"I think you broke the speed record for finding your own place."

"I'm motivated by the need for a room for our junior!"

"Ah yes, good point." The two spent a few minutes with the door closed as Pete updated Tim with the talk he'd had with Matt last night. Although Pete had taken full responsibility, he said that Matt had been very embarrassed. Tim went back to work, figuring he'd have a chat with Matt during the morning. Their probie was all about work that morning and never lifted his head up from the files in front of him. Seeing that and figuring a good solid day of work would do them all some good, Tim didn't say anything yet. Rather than interrupt everyone's morning, he sent an e-mail to his co-workers with his new address, once again wishing he'd taken pictures last night. Realizing he still had a picture of the Russells' pool, he downloaded it and attached it to his e-mail. He loved the responses: Kim and Pete laughed while Tea and Eva looked at him in confusion.

Eva finally asked, "Tim, is that not a photo of Pete's pool?"

"Yeah, but the house I'm renting is a smaller version of the Russells, including the pool."

He saw Matt madly typing and Tim heard him say "Sweet!" He blushed, "Sorry, I looked it up on Google Earth. This place is right up the street! Total win!" Tim grinned at him, all awkwardness forgotten. Evander came by midmorning to drop off the keys and a copy of the rental agreement, now signed by the owners and returned via FAX. As Tim was saving his landlords money they would have had to spend storing their furniture, there was no extra charge. Evander gave him the contact information for the gardener, pool man and handyman who would take care of maintenance. Tim's head was spinning with just the thought of having any of those three, of even living in a place that might need any of them!

He made a quick trip to the hospital at lunchtime. He found both Carla and Norm sound asleep in her hospital room so he quietly left the gift bag with the 3 stuffed animals, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore, on the floor beside Norm. He went down to the nursery and was just able to see the triplets, so tiny. One of them was waving its arms and another was kicking which he supposed was a good sign. He drove back to the office and ate his gyro pita at his desk. Tea had been able to set up their first interview at 1400; Tim headed into Pete's office a few minutes before and they went over their game plan. Both wanted to add questions to the ones they'd asked their interviewee the day before. The agent they were interviewing first had impressive skills, came from a Navy family and spoke Greek and Turkish. Tim was impressed with her portfolio and was curious to see if he thought she'd be a good fit. After they were done, the two men looked at each other, both thinking of Joel's Agent Miller. This woman was late for the interview, her clothes were dirty, her hair disheveled and she seemed to have had trouble focusing on the questions. Her cell had buzzed a few times during their session, very bad interview etiquette.

There was no time between that interview and the next one. That was a young man who had an impressive education, had placed first in nearly everything and spoke Romanian. While his family had not been military, his father worked for a global engineering firm and the young man had lived in various spots around the world. He did fine in the interview, there was absolutely nothing wrong in his answers or his deportment but Tim didn't feel he'd fit in with the team. It had been well covered but he felt the young man had a bit of an elitist "I'm better/smarter than you are" attitude, although he did think that could be due to nerves. He made a note to check that out.

Their fourth interview was a pleasant young woman with an interesting background; she also spoke Romanian and did a good job with the interview. Tim was satisfied with her; she'd do fine as their TAD junior agent. Her parents weren't military but had taught English in several countries, taking their children with them. As with all of the prospects, Pete had questioned her motives for moving to Greece and hers were simple, that she'd lived there when she was 8 and wanted to see it again as an adult.

They had just disconnected from their fourth prospect when Tim slammed his pen down on Pete's desk. "She was on a case!"

"What?"

"Bec, she'd been out at a crime scene! Geez Pete, we may need to boot that good luck fairy out of here, we're losing touch!"

"Oh…late, dirty, yeah, that could be it."

"I'll bet she came back for the interview, didn't have time to clean up and was focused on the case."

"That's actually good, that's what we want in a junior!"

"Ok, let's call her back."

Before they could do so, Tea buzzed Pete with a call from an American woman who wanted to talk to him about someone named Bec. They grinned at each other, figuring it was either her Team Leader or SFA. It was her Team Leader and Pete put her on speaker. She explained that they had been out at a triple homicide and that Bec had been late and dirty because she'd spotted something and slid down a muddy slope to get at it. Pete told the Team Leader that they had figured she'd been out on a case and were eager to speak with her again when she was available. Her boss sighed in relief; she didn't want to lose her but she needed to reduce staff and she knew this would be a great opportunity for the young woman. She promised to have the young woman call them back within the next two hours.

Relieved as she had been their pre-interview favorite, the two men went over their notes on the others and agreed that if Bec still didn't work out either the other young woman or the young agent they'd talked to yesterday would do well on the team.

And so it was that B. Elizabeth Childers or Bec (pronounced Bek) as she preferred to be called, became their temporary junior agent. She contacted the Athens office less than two hours after her Team Leader had spoken with Pete and Tim. Apologizing for not telling them she'd been out at a crime scene, she spoke with them for over an hour, answering their questions and asking her own. When she asked what it was like to live so close to the Middle East, Pete reached over to Tim's pad of paper (yes he does that sometimes, writes on paper) and wrote one word: "YES!" Tim and Pete grinned at each other when they got off the call.

"She's it!"

"Oh yeah, she's the one."

"Maybe funding will be increased and we'll get to keep both of them!"

"Wow, I like your thinking, Special Agent McGee! You never know, maybe the new SecNav will be embarrassed at having to pay the CIA for the use of their agents especially when it was splashed all over ZNN. Maybe someone besides our Director will finally notice that we're over here by ourselves."

"At least we'll have her for 8 months!" Although a formal request for transfer would have to be made, Bec had been offered the job and she'd accepted. Pete called her Team Leader to confirm that and to offer his thanks for her participation.

Tim input the data to the transfer request form, attached Pete's electronic signature and sent it to Bec's current boss and to Human Resources in DC, with a blind copy to Director Vance. Human Resources would contact the young woman and begin the transfer process which could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. One of the questions Tim had asked was how soon Bec would be available. He grinned again at the answer; she could be here in less than a month.


	30. Chapter 30

Surprise, a special two chapter treat!

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Thirty

Later Tim would look back on these few days as the most pivotal of his adult life. Thursday evening as he and Matt walked to his tailor's to pick up his new suit, he was content and happy. Their new junior agent had been selected and would be here soon. He would go to their martial arts class tonight with Kim and Matt, although he still couldn't do much. His injury was so much better he'd actually been surprised this morning when he caught sight of the fading bruise covering much of his torso. The play was Friday night and he was looking forward to it, especially because everyone from the office would be there. It might have sounded silly to anyone who didn't know his background but he was treasuring being part of a cohesive group. He'd survived his first disagreement with Pete and he thought they were stronger for it. He sure felt stronger. He and Matt were ok; they'd had a little talk earlier as Tim wanted to make sure Matt understood things and was taking it in stride as lessons learned for all of them. The Hofstadler babies were doing well and Carla herself would be released from the hospital on Friday. Saturday he would move into his new home and had offers of help from everyone, even though all he was moving was two suitcases and a garment bag full of new clothes. He'd put in his shipping order so the rest of his belongings would soon be on their way to him. Sunday most of the team - Tim saw all of them as a team - would go together to the reception aboard the USS Baton Rouge. Rob's first day of school and work in London was today and Sarah's arrival was not far off. While he had not spoken with his DC friends this week, they had corresponded via e-mail and he was content with that for now. Yep, life was good.

After they picked up the suit and their dinner from their favorite deli, they walked back to the office. Matt suggested they go up to the house before class and take photos so he wouldn't have to cheat and use Pete's pool photo again. Tim liked the idea so much he said they should take their dinner up there. Grabbing keys and jackets, the two piled into Tim's car and drove the two minutes up the hill to the house. Tim smiled as he saw the light on in the house; he'd spotted the timer yesterday and was pleased to know his new home already looked occupied. They took their dinners in and Matt found plates. He rinsed them off, drying them with a hand towel Tim found in the first place he looked.

Tim laughed, "This is surreal. I'm in my new place, haven't even moved in yet and I know where everything is in the kitchen!" Matt raised an eyebrow and Tim grinned at him, "So far everything is in the same drawer or cabinet as it is at Trina and Pete's."

"That is kind of weird, but you know with the different furniture and stuff on the walls, it's not totally like the Russells'." He looked around. "You should stay here tonight Tim; you have your go bag in the car?"

"Yeah, I do. I might or I might just pack up between work and the play tomorrow night and move up here." He thought about that. "I know Pete is having dinner with his family before the play, but everyone else could come up here for dinner, what do you think about that?"

"Sounds like fun!"

"Ok, we can ask Kim tonight and I'll text Tea and Eva right now." Tim sent texts to the two women asking them to come to dinner at his new house tomorrow before the play. The two guys ate their dinner while they waited to hear back from their workmates. Tim's phone buzzed with a yes from Tea and Adan and a probably from Eva. Caleb wasn't home yet and she needed to check with his schedule first. Their dinner finished, they took a quick peek outside at the garden and the pool. Tim couldn't wait to live here and he thought he just might sleep here tonight. He'd see how tired he was after class.

George was happy to see him, although disappointed he was on restriction until Monday. When Tim showed him part of the continent sized bruise on his torso, the man's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"You are very lucky you had no internal injuries! You certainly must wait another few days. Just exercise as much as you are allowed, yes?" Tim nodded, thinking he'd try doing some laps in his pool on Saturday. In the meantime, he was able to do some leg and arm exercises so he felt like less of a slug. Kim and Matt were challenged to defend and Tim enjoyed watching. He couldn't wait to restart his training and catch up to his teammates.

After they finished Tim asked Kim about dinner the next night. She grinned, "A picnic dinner in your new house, that sounds great! What can I bring?" Tim was nonplussed, he'd planned to get take out from the deli. Remembering everyone would be in nice clothes, he decided against finger food. He finally settled on "Surprise me! We'll make it simple but a sit down at the table. Don't want anyone to wipe greasy hands on their nice clothes before the play!"

"Nothing with any tomato sauce please. I'm a magnet for the stuff." Tim nodded, he had the same problem. Anything that could leave a stain loved him. He was pretty familiar with the offerings of their local deli by now and he had a good idea of what he'd get.

When Eva texted Tim with a yes for dinner, he started getting excited and as they pulled into the parking lot of the office, he looked at Matt who was laughing at him. "You don't have to take everything tonight."

Tim nodded, "Go bag plus."

"There you go! Want some help?"

"Nah, I got it, thanks." Matt took off while Tim went inside and gathered his bath items, borrowing a towel and washcloth. He also borrowed his favorite pillow. He took a bag of coffee but no food as he figured he'd just eat breakfast when he got in to work. It was then he realized both he and Matt had forgotten about the grocery shopping. He shrugged, he'd do it Saturday. Leaving the light on upstairs, he shouldered his laptop bag, tucked the pillow under his arm and piled everything else into the tote bag Kyra had loaned him Wednesday. He put everything on the front seat of his car and then went back to double check that he'd locked the front and back doors. Reassured, he drove off to his new home.

He parked in the garage and found that the front door key also worked on the door into the house from the garage. It opened into the hallway near his office and he hauled everything in. Leaving the coffee in the kitchen, everything else came upstairs with him. And then he realized he might not have internet service yet. He put his things in the bathroom, the pillow on the bed and hung up his clothes from the go bag. The drawers and closets were empty. He thought he'd run home at lunch tomorrow with his suit and the shirt and tie he'd wear to the play. Might as well bring his tux and dress shoes as well. Thinking about the embassy party the following week, Tim realized he'd never gotten the planned haircut. He would have to do it Saturday but that would be fine for the reception aboard the Baton Rouge on Sunday. Evander had given him the name of the place he went to, turned out Matt went there as well. Tim made a note on his phone to call tomorrow for an appointment on Saturday. He laughed; he was getting far too used to a life without cases or just the occasional case. Even though last week's had been a monster of a case, they were only in on the takedown, none of the investigation. He realized that aside from the haircuts he'd had since leaving Gibbs' team, he couldn't remember actually being able to show up on time for any personal appointment in the last ten years. Except for doctors' appointments and that was Ducky's doing. He looked at his watch, not quite 2300. Ducky would still be at work, but Gibbs might be home. He powered up his laptop and was pleased to find wifi service available, although unsecured. He'd have to sort that out at some point but for tonight he was happy with what he could get. Still wanting a chat with Ducky, he sent him an e-mail and got a reply that he was at work and would be for some time, as they had several 'guests' but that Saturday morning at 0900 would be wonderful for a chat.

XXX

Sitting in his living room watching the fishing channel, Gibbs stole a look at his watch and then the laptop. It was 2300 in Piraeus; Tim should be home from his martial arts class by now. He wondered if he had packed his things and moved into his new home yet. Gibbs was happy he'd found someplace he liked and admitted to being relieved that he was renting, not buying and he knew that was an extremely selfish take on it, one he would not be sharing with anyone except Dr. Cranston. Oh, he knew Tim wouldn't move home for at least three years, but renting made it easier for Gibbs to hang onto the hope that he really would come home then. He decided to be a big boy and make the call himself rather than sit here and hope Tim would call. He sent a ping through Skype and got an immediate response.

He smiled as he looked at Tim. "Hey, Tim you look much better!"

"Hi Boss, this is a nice surprise! Yeah I'm about 95%. I was just lying here wondering if you were home. I'm at the new house, want to see my room?"

"Yeah!" Tim picked up the laptop and slowly moved it around so Gibbs could see the room. "Wow, that's a big room!"

Tim nodded, "It'll be perfect for my bed when it gets here."

"King size?"

"California King; love that extra length so my feet don't hang over. I hate that!"

Gibbs chuckled, "Yep. Are you going to have to buy furniture? It looks like there's a lot there still."

"I asked them to leave it. They'll be away for three years and were going to have to pay for storage so they're happy to have me use it! No extra charge for leaving it here, plus all the bedding, towels and kitchen stuff too."

"Wow, that's a great deal Tim!"

"Sure is. I'm not crazy about some of the stuff on the walls, it's a little too pastel for me, but Trina's offered to help me redecorate. I hear there's a great flea market that I hope we'll go to, see what treasures we can find. Want to see the rest of the place? Laptop battery is fully charged, I can give you more of a tour if you'd like."

"Let's do it." Tim unplugged the power cord from his laptop and moved down the hall, showing Gibbs the other bedrooms on this floor, the bathroom and then took him down the stairs. He did a slow sweep through the living room, showing Gibbs the paintings he would replace and the dining area with the lighting fixture that he wasn't crazy about. He moved slowly through the kitchen and then down the back hallway to show him his office and full bath. "Boss, this room is furnished nearly the same as it is at Pete's; it's the room I stayed in last weekend. It'll be my office but you can see it's not crowded, even with a double bed in here. "

Gibbs swallowed, blessing his boy for sharing that detail, now he could see how comfortable he must have been. "That looks good, Tim, helps now that I can see it."

Tim grinned at him, "Ready to see the backyard? I'll light it up so you can see the pool and garden."

"A pool? That's great, think you'll have a chance to swim pretty often?"

"Hope so, won't be every day but maybe three times a week."

"Is it warm enough there in the winter to swim?"

"No, probably not although if I wanted to do that there's some sort of dome thing you can have installed over it so you can swim year round."

"Huh, that's something to think about once you get settled in, see how often you have time to swim."

"If what Pete calls our 'good luck fairy' sticks around, I can swim nearly every day."

Gibbs chuckled, "Business slow?"

"No one's complaining but yeah. Hey are you going back to work next week?"

"I am, yeah, on Monday and my new team members will report in by Tuesday. Dorney says he'll be there Monday but the other one is transferring in."

"You feel good about it?"

"I…I'm a little nervous. Don't want to screw up."

"You making progress with Dr. Cranston?"

"Yeah, I've been every day this week and I'll go tomorrow too. I'm ready for our session on Tuesday if you still want to do it."

Tim put his fingers on the laptop screen and Gibbs matched him, just as they had last week. "I do and I'm ready too. I know it isn't my place to say, but I'm really proud of you."

Gibbs huffed, "Thank you, son. I appreciate that. And really, that's my line because I am so proud of you I could burst. So tell me, other than finding the house and 'business' being slow, how's your week been?"

"Pretty good. Did you know Carla had the babies? That was very early Wednesday morning."

"They ok, that was pretty early wasn't it?"

"Yes but they're ok and there are three babies, triplets!"

"I can't even imagine; one baby is a lot of work, but three? Is Carla ok and will she have help?"

"Yes, she'll be released tomorrow and when the babies come home her sister will come for a couple of months."

"I imagine that caused quite a stir in the office." Tim had decided not to mention what had happened.

"Oh yeah. So aside from Dr. Cranston, what have you been up to?"

"I'm trying to come up with something to make for Jimmy and Breena's new little one when he or she comes along. Don't know how old the kid will be, kind of tough."

"Hmm, so what have you got in mind?"

"The usual for a baby, rocking chair, changing table, but for a toddler or even a school age kid, that's harder."

"Do you know what size bed they'll have if it's an older kid? Twin probably, huh?"

"I'd imagine."

"I'm not real familiar with cribs, but would the end piece of a crib be an equivalent size to a headboard for a twin bed?"

"Good question, I'll check that out."

"You could maybe do the cuts now and then add whatever else you want when they find out about the kid."

"You're a lifesaver, Tim, I was thinking a dresser and that's a lot of work with the drawers."

Tim chuckled, "That was my only other idea! Unless you do something for the backyard, but they're renting so it would have to be something they could take with them."

"A playhouse or something?"

"Yeah, that would be cool…maybe call it a fort."

"Did you ever have one, I mean when you were with your dad?"

"Yeah, in San Diego, our house there had a little room off the back of the garage and Patrick and I made it our fort. I remember having fun in it and it was a place to get away from Natalie. Did you have one?"

Gibbs snorted, "It started out as a cardboard box when we got a new refrigerator and then my dad helped me piece together wood to make a real little building. Later he built onto it and used it for a chicken coop."

Tim laughed, "Poor fort!"

"Yeah, really, what self respecting cowboy has a chicken coop in his fort?!"

"We were astronauts and cowboys; sometimes the fort was a spaceship."

"Huh, cowboy fort that flies in space. Hey that's funny because the guy that created Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, he always said he pictured it kind of like "Wagon Train", that's an old TV western, to the stars."

"Boss?"

Gibbs chuckled, "Guess it's about time I 'fessed up!"

"You're a trekker, really?"

"Don't know about that, but yeah, I've been a fan since 1966, I was 7 years old when it started and nearly 10 when it was cancelled. Never watched any of the other ones though, just the original. And none of the movies, although I've heard some of them are pretty good." "

"Boss! I don't know what to say! So all those red shirt jokes we used to make?"

"Laughed quietly to myself."

"Wish I'd known."

"Would it have made a difference?"

"It would have been something we had in common, so yeah."

"Hadn't thought of that Tim; was just trying to keep my private life private."

"That I can relate to Boss, kind of hard to do with things the way they were."

"Yeah, tried to stop that, the prying and the nosiness but I would have had to boot him off the team."

Tim huffed, "Guess I took care of that, huh?"

"Tim."

"Sorry I just… all I wanted was to move on, Boss, I never thought it would be anything more than me leaving."

"Because no one had ever taken any steps before, not Morrow, not Shepard, not Vance once he let me get you back from Cybercrimes?"

"Yeah. Vance tried to talk me out of that, going back to the team."

"Why did you come back? Not that I'm not glad you did."

"Really? Because I never got that, that you were glad." Tim sighed, "I came back because it had been four months and I'd been in charge of a successful project and was stupid enough to think things would be different, same as this past September. Stupid to keep hoping. And Boss, when we came back as a team that time, you greeted Ziva with a kiss and Tony with a handshake, I got nothing…nothing whatsoever. And it wasn't like I'd seen you at all until you wanted to know about Ziva. You never came to see me, never contacted me to see how I was doing."

"I left you alone in Cybercrimes Tim because I thought it would be a fresh start for you, didn't want to taint any chances of success for you there. The way Vance blamed us for Jenny's death I thought you were better off without me. But I hadn't realized I hadn't greeted you when you came back, Tim, I'm sorry, I guess I thought Abby's hugs and kisses were enough."

"Those were from Abby, not you! I mean… I didn't want hugs and kisses, but something, some acknowledgment."

"I am sorry kiddo. I really was glad you were back; I guess I missed the point that even though you were still at Headquarters, it was still a big change – both leaving and coming back. I dropped the ball on that too, son."

Tim was quiet, processing. "It kinda helps to know now that you did want me back, that you were glad."

"You thought I didn't want you on the team?"

"I've thought that for most of the last ten years, Gibbs, wondered why the hell you put me on your team in the first place. I left when I finally realized, like I told you before, that Ziva's total lack of recognition of me as her partner, somebody who would be worthy of at least an e-mail saying she was leaving, made me realize that it was time, that her lack of respect was the same as what I got from you and DiNozzo and I was an idiot for staying so long."

Tim was losing control of his emotions and all the hurt was coming back. He mentally stepped back and imagined the good things that had happened this week, everything he'd thought about earlier. That gave him some strength.

Gibbs wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull Tim into his arms but he was an ocean away and he didn't know if it would help anyway. In a flash he realized that he needed to say it, to let Tim know and he did. "Tim, I wish I could just hold you, hug you, let you know how sorry I am."

Tim nodded, "The thing is, Gibbs, if I hadn't left, things would still be the same. I waited and I waited and hoped and nothing ever changed. It was only leaving that gave me the courage to say what I did and start this whole thing. But you…you never did anything to help, to change things. I love you, I can't help that but I still don't know that I can trust you and I still hurt, as wonderful as everything has been here, I still hurt, in fact sometimes being this happy here makes me hurt more about all the team's crap from before. You weren't a leader Gibbs. You were a dictator who showed favoritism, with an insecure jealous bully of a frat boy as second in command."

Before Gibbs could say anything, he heard a buzzing and realized it was Tim's cell. "I have to go, Pete's calling."

He switched off, leaving Gibbs sitting in Virginia wondering what just happened and once again how he could have been so blind, cruel, harsh and just plain stupid. And hoping they hadn't just lost all the progress he thought they'd made together. Rachel had warned him there were bad times ahead, was this what she meant? That while he hoped they'd gotten past the worst of it, Tim evidently hadn't. He remembered Tim saying they had plenty of things between them still, but he'd hoped…ah he'd hoped. Just as Tim had hoped all those years. Damn it hurt.

Pete was at the office. "Tim, you ok? Your car's not here but your stuff is; I peeked upstairs."

"I'm at the new place, Pete, just brought a few things. How come you're at the office, we get a call out?"

"No, I forgot my cell and it needs charging. You ok? You sound upset."

"Yeah, I'm o...no I'm not ok, Pete. Have I told you how much it means to me to have people care about me? How much being here means to me, how much I appreciate the respect and affection from you?" Tim took a deep breath, "Sorry."

"No need to apologize Timothy, they're called emotions and you have every right to them. And I'm glad you're letting us care about you! Have you been talking with Gibbs?"

"Yeah. He called and it started out fine but then…I don't know, I just get so angry and I know he's trying but I can't let go of all the years he didn't try, that he treated me like crap and let the rest of his team do the same thing. Geez, I'm kind of over the top right now."

"Tim, I told you I'm always willing to listen. I want you to remember something: Gibbs' lack of humanity is his problem and from everything I know and I know a lot now, I've made it my business to talk with Rick Carter and Dr. Mallard, you've borne the brunt of his bad tempered badass self for far too long. You are worthy of respect and affection and you are an excellent agent who just needed a chance to get away from a Team Leader who held you back and a SFA who's a bully. If I weren't so selfish, I'd let Vance know you're ready for your own team now. I don't know what training you think you missed, but I sure haven't seen any lack in anything you've done. Have you realized that, son…that you've been running the team and doing a hell of a job? "

"I've noticed that you've given me the chance to run with things and I really like that. As long as you tell me when I'm out of line or just crazy."

"And if it ever comes to that, I will. The other thing I wanted to tell you is that it takes time to heal, son. You're trying to fix old relationships that were probably broken years ago or never healthy to begin with, from a distance of 5100 miles. Not only that but you're establishing new and healthier relationships, if I may say so, here with us. You need to cut yourself some slack; you're juggling a lot right now."

Tim huffed, "I told Gibbs I wouldn't even consider trying to deal with DiNozzo right now, have too much on my plate that has a higher priority."

"I can't imagine he liked that too much."

"He had his chance, all of them and I'm not even sure I want to try and fix things with DiNozzo." He paused. "I told Gibbs I don't know if I can trust him."

"Meaning Gibbs or DiNozzo? And did you mean it?"

"I meant Gibbs and yes I meant it."

"Then let him deal with it. You've already dealt with it." Pete paused, "It's hard, I imagine this must be sort of what a divorce must feel like, only you're trying to make it amicable."

"Hadn't thought of it that way, but I could see that, although it feels more like going for a partial reconciliation than making things amicable. Plus I want answers as to why things were done the way they were."

"And if there are no answers?"

"Then we're done."

"You know you won't like whatever answers they do come up with."

"Yes, but I still want to know how they justified their actions."

"Just…take care of yourself, Tim. Don't get buried in their angst and guilt."

"I won't Pete, I promise. This team, this office, this job are my priorities."

"Attaboy! And Tim, your life should be in there as a priority too! Now, it's late and we should both get some sleep. I'm going home with my cell and you get some rest!"

"Yes sir!" Tim yawned as he disconnected. He felt much better for having talked with Pete. He thought his main problem with Gibbs right now was that whatever the man was working on with Dr. Cranston, he still didn't seem to get that this had gone on since Day One. It wasn't one or two incidents but many over a decade. There were plenty of things Tim hadn't said yet. Maybe that was the wrong way to approach it. Maybe instead of talking about the incidents it needed to be about the overall treatment and the "why". He really hoped that would answer a lot of his questions. But did that mean he shouldn't mention the incidents? Not for the first time, he thought about getting some counseling himself. Maybe it would help him work things out with Gibbs and maybe DiNozzo and help him learn things he needed to do differently. He'd think about it, it could only help, right?

* * *

Two steps forward, one step back.


	31. Chapter 31

Finally reaching the event I've been waiting to share since before I started writing this story! Enjoy, would love to hear your thoughts on things.

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Thirty One

Tim thought it was his talk with Pete that allowed him to sleep as peacefully as he did. He was here now, in his new home. He got up early enough to watch the dawn breaking through his bedroom window. After his shower, he dressed and headed to the kitchen for coffee. Before he poured his first cup though, he took out enough plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery for everyone coming tonight, put them in the dishwasher and got it running. Then he had his coffee, walking over to the patio door to view his new playground. He was grateful they weren't on call for another couple of weeks, thank you former Agent Miller, so he could really get settled in here. Except for getting a haircut and grocery shopping, he would have all day tomorrow and parts of Sunday.

It felt a little strange to be driving to work after nearly two months of commuting by train or living upstairs from the office, but then again, he didn't think two miles really constituted a 'commute'. He should be walking, not driving! He coasted down the hill a few blocks and then had to use the brake. Reminding himself he was not a child, he drove properly the rest of the way although he did wonder what it would feel like to ride a skateboard down. He and Patrick had saved their allowance and bought one to share the summer before the car wreck. Tim suddenly realized he was remembering things. Not big things but bits and pieces of his childhood that he thought were lost forever. He liked remembering things about Patrick, he still missed his brother. They'd been so close in age that even though Tim was definitely in charge as the elder, they were like twins. He loved all three of his siblings dearly, as much as he had Patrick, but they were different people and had different relationships with him. He parked his car and went into the office to make breakfast. He was just finishing eating when Matt came in and snagged the last piece of toast. Tim snorted, "I made extra, I knew you'd come in early."

"Investigator in training - figured you weren't going to stop to pack up food last night so would be here early for breakfast. You going to eat that last piece of bacon?"

"Nah, go ahead."

"So how was it?"

"Great! I slept really well, felt good. Want help me move the rest of my stuff after work, the food too?"

"Sure!"

"Ok, oh, I have to set up my haircut too and order food for tonight."

"Food for tonight? What's that for?" Pete had snuck in while they were eating the last bits of bacon and toast.

"Morning Pete! We're having sort of an impromptu picnic dinner at Tim's new place tonight. Just take out, nothing fancy. You said you were having company over before the play, so we didn't ask you guys."

"Everyone else going?"

Tim nodded, "Yep but it's not my official house warming, it's just a before the play dinner."

Pete laughed, "Sounds like fun! So what are you ordering?"

"Been thinking about it, don't want finger food and nothing with a lot of sauce or Kim and I will be in trouble."

"Huh?"

"She says she's a magnet for tomato sauce and I pretty much am too, but for any kind of sauce. It can be across the room and it'll find a way to my shirt." Both the other men laughed.

"I'm thinking a variety of meat, sliced up and vegetables with some salad stuff and those little roasted potatoes. Oh, no garlic though, we'll be in public."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that since we're all sitting together."

Matt laughed, "Come on, guys, we're in Greece, there's garlic, onion and spices in nearly everything we eat."

"We'll figure it out, I know there's a menu here; we'll take a look at lunchtime."

"It sounds like fun, I might have to sneak out and join you guys!"

When Kim arrived, Tim and Matt stared at each other and then at the large dish she carried. She smiled happily and took it into the kitchen. Tea arrived with two dishes, although smaller. When Eva came in with a covered container full of something, Tim had to know. "Hey guys, we were just going to do deli food, I didn't mean for you to bring anything." The three women looked at each other; Tea spoke for the trio. "We decided to help! Take a look and you can order whatever you feel is missing."

Tim and Matt took a look and if the ladies hadn't been watching might have snitched. There was souvlaki, moussaka – a dish with eggplant, meat, onions and tomatoes, and a wonderfully smelling vegetable dish of some kind. The two men looked at each other and Tim thought for a minute, "Little potatoes and some salads, that's all we need." Matt added, "Some baklava?"

Tim shook his head, "Matt, we're going to be waddling to our crime scenes!" The women agreed so dessert was voted down.

It was another quiet day only it seemed to drag on as Fridays often do. At lunchtime, the order was placed at the deli and Tim made an appointment for a haircut in the morning. By midafternoon, Tim was heartily sick of cold case files. He took some time to write up his training plan for Bec's first week. Matt had asked him a question earlier about some rule he'd mentioned so now he wrote down the rules he wanted to continue using. He threw out rule 13 about lawyers, and re-worded Rule 12. He also scrapped the one about never apologizing. He liked Rule 9, always carry a knife and one of the Rule 1's, never screw over your partner. He also liked Rules 10 and 11, the ones about walking away when the job was done and the other one about not getting personally involved. He jotted down some ideas of his own. He'd lived by some of them for years – some had come out of his life on the street but he hadn't ever bothered to write them down. At 1600, Matt brought his files over and they went through them. After so much time spent on cold case files recently, Matt was on his way to becoming an expert. At 16:30, Tea's boyfriend Adan walked in the door and Pete appeared in the doorway of his office. "You guys pack it up and go have fun. I'll stay till 1700 and watch the phones. Have fun at Tim's house, don't fall in the pool!" Eva and Kim stayed behind to wait for Caleb and Evander while the others shut down their computers. Tim and Matt shut down and Tim headed upstairs to pack Tim's clothes, while Matt ducked out to the deli to pick up the rest of the food for dinner. Tim was only taking breakfast food with him; the rest of what was there could be shared. Adan went upstairs to help Tim carry the suitcases, Tea having remembered Tim's injury and the weight restriction. Both suitcases and the garment bag were soon downstairs and the four of them waved to Pete and the others as they left. Caleb was just pulling into the parking lot, so they waited for Eva and then Tim led the little caravan up to his new house. Kim and Evander arrived a few minutes after as everyone was still oohing and ahhing and laughing at themselves.

Once everyone was there, Tim took them on a tour which felt a bit silly since they were all familiar with the Russells' house. Tim had parked his laptop on the top of the dresser in his room and when the tour reached there, he saw someone was trying to contact him via Skype. Matt was closest and with a mischievous look in his eyes, he reached up and opened the contact. Tim saw the curious brown eyes of their Director and laughed, "Oh we are so busted! Hello Sir!"

"Tim, hello! Oh…you have company…where are you?"

"We're at my new house sir, I'm just moving in and my team came over for dinner, then we're all going to Pete's kids play."

"Ah, I see." The director peered out, "Hello everyone!" Matt and the ladies answered and then Tim introduced Adan, Caleb and Evander.

"Sir, are you in MTAC and is anything wrong?"

"Yes I'm in MTAC and nothing is wrong, want to say hello?"

"Sure!" Vance moved away and Tim called out greetings to Sandy, Ed and Larry, the three techs currently in the room. They smiled and waved and Sandy blew a kiss his way. Vance came back into view. "I wanted to congratulate you on your new JA, good work Special Agent McGee."

"Thank you Sir; Pete, Kim and Tea worked on it with me."

"Good teamwork then, Kim, Tea. Bec's Team Leader was particularly impressed that you were calling her back when she called - after that first attempt at an interview."

Tim laughed, "Sir, do you remember my slide into Rock Creek during the Senator's case?"

"Oh, when you were after the gun…yes, you were pretty muddy and wet, I remember Gibbs dragging you in here and someone squealing."

In the background Sandy was laughing and said "Sir, I was not squealing and Tim knows how delicate this equipment is, he helped train me on it!"

Tim's ears were red by now. "Anyway, it took me nearly an hour to realize that she'd probably been out at a crime scene, hadn't had time to clean up and was trying to focus on both the case and the interview. As Pete said, that's the kind of junior we want, we already have a Probie who'll jump right in!" It was Matt's turn to blush.

"Exactly. Well, that was all. I know you all have a busy evening planned. Which kids are in the play?" They told him and Tim grinned at the man as he sensed he had something he was reluctant to ask.

"How's Kayla doing?"

"Ah Tim, she's having an awful time. Do you think you could spare her 10 minutes tomorrow?"

"Not ten minutes, not if she's having that bad a time. Let's make it an hour, at 10:00 your time?"

"Ok, thank you so much. I've never felt so inadequate as a parent! We'll call you at 1700 your time then."

"That's fine, have her do what she can so we can go over what's right and what needs revising."

"Will do."

"Sir, another question…personal, well sort of. Gibbs is due back to work next week. He says everyone but Dorney is reporting in on Tuesday, but he has a meeting with Rachel – and me – at 1100. I know he's not the best at letting people know things."

"Timothy, you're…?"

"Yes sir, my idea."

"All right, thanks for letting me know. You're right; I'd probably think he was gone for coffee." They both snorted; in fact Tim was pretty sure he heard the techs snorting too. They disconnected and Tim turned to his friends. Kim finally found her voice, "The Director calls you by your first name? And he calls you at home? You help the Director's daughter with her homework?"

"Yes to all of the above, he's been sort of a lifesaver for me in recent years and I've tried to be of some help after Jac…his wife died. As for the homework, I used to tutor kids in math at the shelter where I lived as a kid. Kayla found out when she was volunteering there one weekend with her parents and called me at the office one day, begging me for help. She's smart as a whip so she's in an advanced class and it's tough, I remember! So I help her and Jared, her brother, with math and science when they need it and sometimes the daughter of another friend who's an FBI agent."

Eva smiled, "You are a man of many talents!"

Tim just smiled, "And now I'd like to show you one of my favorite talents – eating!"

Caleb nodded, "That was very interesting Tim but yes, let's eat!"

Nobody hurried through their dinner but they managed to enjoy the food and the company, clear the table and still have time to change into their clothes for the play. They reconvened in the living room and then split up into their vehicles with Evander leading the way. When they pulled into the parking lot, Tim was glad he'd worn his new suit as he saw a few men, fathers he supposed, walking in, all were wearing suits. Matt and Tim hung back and let the others go in first and find the seats the Russells had saved for them. Tim was looking for any of the Russells and spotted Kyra talking animatedly with a woman with red hair. The young girl saw Tim and Matt and waved them over. "Dani, this is Tim and this is Matt, they work with my dad. Her son Ross is in the play and he's also Stephan's best friend."

"Oh, Tim, you're the one that stayed with them when you were hurt and then when your friend had her babies the other night."

"Yes, that's me, I'm happy to meet you! And Matt here is the one who stayed at the hospital with Pete and Trina all night."

"Oh Matt I've been hearing wonderful things about you for months!"

Kyra tapped Matt on the arm, "We're all sitting together over there…see?" She pointed to the others and they saw there were still some empty chairs with programs on them as a way of saving the seats.

"Ok, we'll go then chiquita!" The men escorted Kyra and Dani to their seats, joining their teammates and friends. Lukas slid in next to Matt who was one seat off from the aisle, "Ok if I sit here?"

"Sure, you can tell me who's who."

Lukas laughed, "Mom told me to save another seat for Dani's housemate. She's working backstage on the sets with Mom still." Tim heard the conversation and caught a glimpse of a dark haired woman, hair almost shimmering under the lights, next to Trina doing something with a piece of furniture.

Lukas followed his glance, "That's a couch; the cover just tore so they're fixing it." Tim was watching the dark haired woman's movements and noticed that her hair was not all dark, it had red highlights in it; a color he thought was auburn. There was something about the way she moved, quick sure movements that kept his eyes glued to her. When she moved out of his sight, he sighed and then leaned over to Lukas, "What's Dani's friend's name, Lukas? "

"Oh um, I think it's Lina. She'll come down with Mom in a minute and sit with us."

"You're saving that seat for her?"

"Yeah."

Tim looked at Matt, "Mind changing places with me?"

Matt grinned at him. "Not at all!"

Tim gave him a happy smile as they swapped places. Tim sat pretending to read the program while waiting for the woman with the auburn hair to sit next to him. He felt like his heart was thumping loud enough to be heard outside of his body. Finally he saw her approaching – along with Trina. He stood as they reached their aisle and Trina quickly introduced them, her eyes widening as she saw that Tim's eyes were glued to the other woman.

"Melina, this is our friend Timothy. Timothy, Melina whom we call 'Lina." Tim smiled and hoped his hands weren't too sweaty as he reached for hers. She smiled back and he thought it was the prettiest smile he'd ever seen. "Lina, you must be an artist too, working with Trina."

"Yes, I am, how perceptive of you! And you, Timothy, what do you do?"

"I work with Pete at NCIS and please call me Tim."

"You are lucky to have such a wonderful name. And yes, I think I've been to your office once, to pick up Ross. I remember the building is very cleverly done."

When Tim looked puzzled, she leaned in, "Dani's son, Stephan's best friend."

"Oh of course, sorry, I haven't met him yet."

"That's perfectly understandable. How long have you been in Greece, Tim, you speak the language beautifully!"

"I've been here four weeks now; I learned to speak Greek several years ago, in the States."

"My compliments to your instructor, you speak like a native."

"Thank you." Tim opened his mouth to say something else when the lights dimmed, a sign the play was about to begin.

The play went well and Tim followed everyone's lead, laughing and applauding but he never had any memory of anything but this wonderful woman sitting next to him. He offered to buy her a soda at intermission and she smiled, asking for a lemonade. He bought two and they stood chatting while they drank their beverages. When the lights flickered, a signal to return to their seats, he leaned in to her, "May I buy you a cup of coffee after the play?"

She smiled and her green eyes twinkled, "Yes, I'd like that very much. I have my car here though."

"I can bring you back afterward."

"Good, that's a good idea." Turning they returned to their seats and sat, each very aware of the other throughout the rest of the play. After it was over, they stood in the lobby, chatting with the others, waiting for the Russell kids and Ross to appear.

Kim had had an eye on Tim for much of the evening and now she whispered to Tea, "Looks like our Tim just got taken off the singles' list."

Tea laughed quietly, she'd noticed the same thing. She whispered back, "She seems just as attracted to him as he is to her."

"That's good, he deserves someone like that."

Eva joined them, "Now we just need to find a young man for Matt."

"Shh, he doesn't know we know."

"Ahh, such a lot of fuss."

Pete walked over to them, "Ladies, did you enjoy the play?"

"Yes thanks Pete."

He lowered his voice, "I think Tim and Lina might be waiting for us to leave so they can leave."

"Oh, then we should go, yes?" Eva grabbed Caleb, "Come, let's go." He laughed and shrugged, "Of course!"

Kim gave Matt a look and he sauntered over.

"We're leaving so Tim and his new friend can do whatever they want to do without us watching over them."

"They're just going for coffee."

"Fine, come on!" And so the NCIS contingent, with the exception of the Russells, waved goodbye and left. The kids tumbled out from backstage soon after and Tim was introduced to Ross. After congratulating the three teens for their wonderful performances – he'd heard the others say so – he and Lina slipped out.


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note: Credit for Gibbs' mistreatment of Tim because he reminds him too much of his daughter Kelly goes to the incomparable Tigyr in her wonderful Written in the Stars series. I highly recommend reading the series, as well as the rest of her stories. She's even got two wonderful St. Patrick's Day-related stories. Thanks, my friend!

* * *

Finding Home, Chapter Thirty Two

Gibbs finally gave up trying to sleep and got up at 0300, had coffee and headed down to the basement. He had some carpentry project books and brochures down there and he thought he'd do some research on Tim's crib/headboard idea. And wasn't that a kick in the pants, to have gone from the friendly conversation to hurt, angry and accusatory minutes later. He sat down on a sawhorse and let the book slip out of his hands. He sat there, the palms of his hands digging into his thighs once again feeling helpless and hopeless. After a while he got cold and tugged on a sweatshirt that always seemed to be down there. Sighing, he took out his notepad and wrote down what had happened on the call, what he'd felt after, what he imagined Tim felt. He'd been too upset yesterday. He wished he could call Tim but he knew he would be at work; he didn't want to make things worse. Then he remembered he had e-mail at home, he could send something to Tim at his personal e-mail, the new address that Tim had made when he left DC. He'd promised Duck he wouldn't send Tim anything without someone else vetting it, but Dr. Cranston could do that. He could write it up and send it to Dr. Cranston. Now a man with a mission, he sat down at his laptop and worked on his note. As he worked on it, he reviewed everything that had been said and finally got what Tim might have been thinking. If he hadn't left, nothing would have changed, was Gibbs only working to change now because Tim had left, was it some sort of control thing rather than genuine remorse and affection? He stopped and added that to his notes before he realized the Doc would see it in the e-mail.

Over the course of his sessions with Dr. Cranston, Gibbs had come to realize that his feelings for Tim had been love/hate from the start, although hate was too strong a word. More that he didn't want him around. And yes it was because he reminded him too much of Kelly. What had attracted him to Tim in the first place had turned out to cause Gibbs more grief and anger. Having McGee sit there with those damn eyes of his every single day brought the anguish and anger at losing Kelly, of Kelly losing her life, back to the forefront of his heart and mind and worse, into his days he had spent hours 'going for coffee' just to get away from his youngest agent who was so much like his daughter, but he was alive, she was dead. And he'd never done anything about it, never even really admitted it to himself. He knew Tim was a good agent but he couldn't afford to let him get any closer so he never told him after that one time when he was leaving the agency anyway or so he'd thought. He kept him at arm's length, always. Let DiNozzo keep at him half hoping it would drive the kid away. So was it because he'd left, relieving Gibbs of the pain and anguish, that he was trying to reconcile with Tim? Was it a control thing? He couldn't reach Ziva but he could Tim and by God he was not letting him go no matter what? And did that mean he was still treating Tim as second best…no Ziva so I'll work it out with Tim? Or that he subconsciously felt that he could safely reach out to Tim now that he was 5000 miles away? But he'd wanted to see him; he'd needed to see him. Oh God, was that more of the Kelly bit, was he so sick and twisted that after years of pushing Tim away because he reminded him too much of Kelly he now missed that remembrance?If he was this conflicted as to his own motives, what must Tim think? It was no wonder Tim didn't trust him. He stopped himself. He'd drive himself crazy and he still had four hours to go before his appointment. He decided to go for a run, hoping that would clear his mind. He changed and headed out on his old running route; now if his knees behaved he would call it a win.

XXX

Abby had the doorknob in her hands but somehow it slipped out and the door slammed shut. "Oops." She whispered. A light flicked on upstairs and she shrugged. Her sister-in-law appeared at the railing and nearly flew down the stairs, stopping when she was within smelling distance of Abby.

She hissed, "What the hell are you doing, it's 4:00 AM!"

"Wen' out with some frenz be…cauz th…they undershtan' me."

She poked her finger at her sister-in-law. "You don'. You don' care…they doo. I tole them all 'bout tha' ra' bastar' McGee, how he's th' Evil Influence. He's th… reassson I din' ge' th' job. Schtupid."

"What did you do?"

"Not gonna tell you. Ma frenz gonna tak…take care of him…he won't cast his Evil Influenz annnymo…anymore." She paused, swaying. "Don' fee' so good."

She yelped when she was grabbed by her arm and pushed into the downstairs bathroom, the door slamming shut behind her. After she got rid of everything in her stomach, she sank to the floor, thinking "stupi' bastar, he gonna pay fo' ruininining mah life."

Upstairs Luka had heard a door slam and found his wife was not curled up next to him. He sat up when she stormed into the bedroom. "Your sister just got home, she's drunk…again. She's supposed to be looking for work and she's getting scarier by the day. Luka, you have to do something!"

Luka looked at Jeanette, feeling stuck. He had a familial responsibility to Abby but his first priority was his wife and their daughter. She was right; Abby had been here for two months and hadn't found a job. She'd been turned down at LSU, claiming they'd hired internally but Luka had found the shredded letter and pieced it back together, reading between the lines that these people knew something that told them they didn't want her. Abby had told them that agency politics had cost her the job she'd loved so much and they'd believed her - at first. Luka hadn't spent more than a few days at a time with her in years and as the weeks went on he found it difficult to reconcile this whiny emotional high maintenance brat with his beloved fun, quirky and smart sister. Sure, she'd been disappointed and upset, that was only natural, but he'd never known Abby to give up on anything. Once rejected by her alma mater, she hadn't done anything else. And now she'd taken to blaming everything that happened to her – from losing her job to breaking a fingernail – on her former friend and colleague. That scared him, his sister had lost her perspective and balance; he was beginning to think Abby might be capable of inflicting harm and she was making threats left and right. The man was a federal agent, one of these days she was going to mouth off to the wrong person and the FBI or whoever handled threats would come looking for her. He sighed. She needed help. He'd offered to pay for counseling but that had earned him a 30 minute diatribe against him and every shrink that had ever existed. He'd been lucky Jeanette wasn't home that day or Abby would have been long gone. Now he knew she was right. "All right, I'll tell her she either goes to see a shrink or she needs to find someplace else to live."

Jeanette shook her head. "No Luka, I know she's your sister but I don't want that foul mouthed drunken…person around our daughter or in my house a day longer. Our little girl is scared of her, and frankly I'm afraid of what she'll do. She has money; she told me when she got here that she had enough for several months. She can find a place to live; she can go live with whoever she was out drinking with last night and figure this out for herself. If you still want to pay for a psychiatrist for her, that's great, but I want her out of here, please!"

"All right, sweetheart, I'm so sorry, I had no idea my wonderful sister had turned into this…troll. Did she go to her room?"

"No, I left her throwing up in the toilet downstairs."

"Guess I'll wait until she's sobered up then."

XXX

After the Bremerton office had successfully closed their latest case, Ken Saunders their SFA, announced they were going for drinks after work that night. It was a tradition with them but Tony had begged off from previous celebrations. This time he just grinned and nodded, knowing that no matter what Gibbs said, he still needed to fit in here.

With their office so close to the Navy shipyard, the bars were not the sophisticated places DiNozzo was used to. As he sat at the table, trying not to compare it to the pubs of Georgetown, he suddenly missed Ziva and McGee. The longing was so strong he left the table and went to the restroom to take several deep calming breaths. He missed what Abby had called her "Three Musketeers". Evidently that had been an illusion as neither Ziva nor Tim had shared that take on their relationship. He was homesick. He didn't want to talk with Gibbs, he wanted to go back to the table and find it occupied by Ziva and Tim. He couldn't even speak with them. Ziva had not answered any of his texts or calls since he'd left Israel and Tim...damn he'd screwed up. He hoped Gibbs knew that the anger and whining he'd expressed in their last call had really been toward the guy in the mirror, not Tim, not Gibbs. He texted his doctor and asked if he could see him over the weekend. He'd been doing well but then had gotten tired of the effort and slipped back. It was time to step back into this; he wanted to put things right. Washing his face, he straightened his tie and had his "I'm fine" mask firmly in place before he went back to the table.

XXX

Ducky hummed to himself as he and Jimmy cleaned up after taking care of their latest guests. He'd been glad to see the e-mail from Tim and had shared it with Jimmy. While he was sorry he couldn't speak with the dear boy now, he was looking forward to their chat in the morning and he chuckled at that. He and Jethro were having dinner tonight and he was happily anticipating that as well. He had an inkling his old friend had spoken with Tim this week and he was eager to hear what had transpired.

XXX

Gibbs walked into Dr. Cranston's office, his notebook and print of his e-mail to Tim in his hand. Rachel smiled at him as she looked up from her desk and then doing a double take, wore a concerned frown as she looked again. Her patient looked like hell this morning; he hadn't looked this bad in weeks. She wondered if he and Tim had hit the spot she'd figured was coming: Jethro thinking they were quickly approaching good and Tim telling him they weren't anywhere close and likely expressing anger or hurt.

He sank into the chair he normally sat in. "Doc, I…I don't know what to do. I called Tim last night, on the laptop and we had this great conversation. But then it went south and I don't even know how it got there but he was all over me about not wanting him on the team, how he'd never understood why I brought him on and not welcoming him back after Vance busted us up. I…don't know what else is out there…I keep thinking I've dug as deep as I can, feel as bad as its possible to feel and then there's more."

She nodded, "Some things to keep in mind, Jethro. You've been home so you've had time to work on this and you've done some incredible work. Tim is at work, new team, totally foreign land and he's probably not thinking about this all that much. So then he's talking with you and things start to bubble up, things he hasn't had a chance to say, things that aren't going to come up in conversation unless he's talking with you or Ducky or I suppose even the Director. This probably isn't what you want to hear, but I'm glad he's telling you things, that he's still expressing himself. I'm going to take that as a positive sign."

He stared at her. "Positive? He pretty much hung up on me last night."

"He's still hurt and angry, Jethro and it sounds like he's not dealing with it unless he's talking with you."

"Ok, second time, I got it now, Doc." His shoulders slumped, "Is there going to be an end to this, do you think? And I'm telling you, he was rough, told me he didn't trust me; that if he hadn't left things wouldn't have changed. And that led me to thinking about my motives for trying to fix this. I'm second guessing myself all over the place. This isn't the way I want to live, Doc."

"And may I remind you that the hurt and anger were built up over ten years, Jethro. There is no quick fix for this or do you still want to pursue fixing your relationship with Tim McGee?"

"Yeah I do, I just hope it's for the right reasons." He told her of his confused thoughts earlier that morning, tapping his notebook. "Did you write it all down?"

"Most of it. Doc…is it time to tell him now…about why I let things go on?"

"First I want to see what you were thinking this morning." He turned the notebook to the right page and handed it to her. She quickly read it and looked up. "Ok, bear with me on this. You don't ever second guess yourself and now you are." He nodded. "Once again, I see this as a positive sign. Jethro, you've kept your feelings about Shannon and Kelly locked up and that came to include your feelings about Tim as well. So the fact that you're questioning everything tells me you're starting to get close to the real answers. Yes, you're questioning your motives, but that's necessary. I'm going to quickly ask you some questions or make statements and I want you to respond without thinking, just whatever comes out of your mouth." Gibbs nodded.

"Is Tim trying to replace Kelly?"

"No."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes."

"Do you blame him for Kelly's death?"

"No."

"Does he remind you of Kelly?"

"He looks like her."

"How?"

"His eyes, his smile, his gestures."

"When you see him on the screen, how do you feel?"

"Relieved and happy."

"Why relieved?"

"Because he hasn't given up on me."

He dropped his head into his hands and Rachel waited, feeling his grief. "Jethro I want you to remember he said he loves you and that trust can be rebuilt. What you two are experiencing is a compaction of ten years of problems into a few phone calls. If you had worked these out along the way, they would have happened naturally, not all at once. But you didn't see and he didn't tell you."

"That's what he said before, that he never came to me and told me about things that happened and that I have to let him be responsible for some of it."

"Yes. Can you do that?"

"I don't know how."

"It involves letting him be human. You've been told all these things you've done and now you're thinking Tim was right. He's not always right and he doesn't want that any more than he wanted to be thought of as wrong all the time. He wants you to see him as a human being, not as your agent or your former agent who had problems with you." She paused. "It sounds like that is what he's pushing himself to do with you too. Treat you as a fallible human being rather than his invincible Team Leader."

"He said I was a dictator."

"You were."

Gibbs sighed. "I guess; I even knew that sometimes but I needed things to be done."

"There are other ways to inspire people to do the work you want them to do."

"I'd better learn them fast then, Doc, because I've got a new team coming in and I'm scared I'm going to screw up."

"I don't believe you will. I think you've done enough work now that you'll build your new team the right way. And I'm sure Director Vance will be happy to give you feedback."

"Vance! I haven't told him about our session with Tim on Tuesday."

"Then call him when you leave here, let him know. You're doing much better at communicating, Jethro but it's going to get tough again when you go back to work; you're going to have to keep it up."

All in all, he felt a little better when he left. The doctor had changed a little bit of his e-mail to Tim but he didn't mind the changes and she said it would be all right if he sent it to Tim. She'd also agreed to meet with him early Monday morning before he went into the office. He was hungry when he got home, so he fixed himself some lunch. After he devoured his bacon and egg sandwich, he called Vance and was surprised when he was put right through.

"Gibbs, you ready to come back to work next week?"

"Yes sir and I just realized I have an appointment I forgot to tell you about. It's at 1100 on Tuesday; I'll be back by 1300."

"This a medical appointment?"

"It's with Dr. Cranston and Tim is joining us."

"Really? I'll take that as a positive sign!"

"Hope so, Director."

"He's doing great over there. I just spoke with him a little bit ago, surprised him taking his co-workers on a tour of his new house."

"It's a beauty; he gave me a virtual tour yesterday."

"Oh? Good to hear! Did he tell you they picked a junior agent?"

"Knew he was working on it and that you'd approved his idea."

"That one, he never ceases to amaze me, he's always looking at all sides of the picture. Yeah, they selected a young woman currently in the Southeast Office. He'll tell you this story but I gotta tell you first. She blew her interview, came in late, she was messed up, her clothes were kind of damp and a little dirty and her cell phone kept buzzing during the interview. After the whole Laurel Miller thing…uh, don't know if you know about that?"

"Is that the London agent that was supposedly too sick to work the cartel case?"

"Yeah, she took a Dramamine on the flight over, that's what happened, she was totally spaced out."

"Oh geez."

"Yeah, so anyway…" Vance went on to tell Gibbs the story of Bec and how Tim had suddenly realized she had been out at a crime scene and her second interview.

Gibbs realized as Vance talked that he was feeling comfortable hearing and talking about Tim, as his former agent, now gone on to do great things…more great things. He was appreciative of his boss dealing with it this way rather than never saying his name in front of him. He got off the call feeling better about his return to work. He pulled up his draft of Tim's letter, glad the system had apparently saved it for him, changed the few words as Rachel directed and sent it. He sat back and took a deep breath. He wanted to make something for Tim. It couldn't be very big but he wanted to do something. He'd already made a picture frame for his birthday and once he had decided to include a picture with it, he'd really had to step out of his comfort zone to get that done, but he was happy with it and hoped Tim would be too. Now he wanted to make him something else, something to remind him of home. He remembered that Ducky or Jimmy had the photo album Abby had put together years ago. Ginger had found it in the lab after Abby's departure and taken it to Ducky. Maybe that would trigger some idea of what to do next. He texted his friend and asked him if they could look at it this evening. He got a quick reply and Gibbs relaxed a little more. Maybe he'd take a nap; he thought he could sleep now.


	33. Chapter 33

Finding Home, Chapter Thirty Three

Lina gave a light laugh as Tim took her hand while they slipped out of the school gymnasium/theater. "Your whole group left, except for the Russells."

Tim smiled at her, "They're a clever bunch!" He paused, "I have to confess I only know three places in town and none of them are cafés."

"Really? Oh, of course you've only been here four weeks!"

"A month today as a matter of fact."

She smiled at him. "I know a place that's fun and lively but there is privacy as well."

"Sounds perfect, what's it called?"

"Piraikon."

"Do you mind navigating?"

"Not at all!"

Tim opened her door for her and she gave him another electric smile, one that was making him weak in the knees. Lina proved to be a good navigator and they reached the café without any problems. They walked in, Tim with his hand on her back and found a table in a quiet spot where they could talk without having to yell over the noise of the various billiard games. Tim spotted chess and backgammon boards set up and nodded. "There is a lot to do here!" As they sat, he added, "This is good, a quiet corner for us tonight." The server took their orders and they sat back. Both started talking at once and laughed. Tim gestured to her. "Please!"

"Oh! I was going to ask you where you were before Piraeus. Where in the States?" Tim told her a little about London, DC and Maryland. Then he turned the tables,

"How about you, are you from this area?"

"No, I was born and raised in Thessaloniki -in the Greek Macedonian region; do you know where that is?"

"Yes, in Northern Greece." He leaned back, "Thessaloniki, known for its host of Byzantine monuments, is considered an open-air museum of Byzantine art." He paused and smiled, "And its beautiful natives."

Lina blushed. "You are too kind. It is an historical city of course, there is nothing in Greece that isn't! But naturally there is more and someday you must visit there. I came here to university and I have never left. While I love the north and my parents' home, I love the vibrancy, the ebb and flow of life here. And also the ease of travel to the islands and the rest of Europe."

"And you're an artist, what a wonderful place to live! What kind of art? Other than working on sets for plays?"

"I have my degree in Art History but my heart lies with mixed media – in other words I cannot make up my mind!"

"I imagine it's more likely you're multi-talented. Mixed media…painting, sculpture…?"

"Yes to those two, I also do some work in glass – fusion and I've done some glass blowing as well. And furniture design, photography, some film, clothing, and even a bit of landscape design."

"Wow, you are indeed a woman of many talents."

"Or a lot of dabbling!"

"With your degree, have you done any restoration work? I know there's a difference between history and restoration, but it would seem to me that knowing the history would be very useful in restoration. I read about the "emergency archeology" digs when the Metro was being excavated, that sounded fascinating. Not the same thing, I know."

"Well but it is close! Yes, I have done restoration work, oddly enough not only in Greece but in the U.S. as well, in California!"

"Wow, what kind of restoration work was needed there?"

She smiled, her eyes sparkling. "It is not only ancient works that may need restoring. In California it was an original Monet that had been damaged in a fire. You know those horrible fires they have there that burn houses and trees and everything in the path?" Tim nodded. "The painting was in a home that was close enough to one of those fires to suffer quite a lot of smoke damage. I was called to see if it could be restored and then hired to do the actual restoration."

"Wonderful, I mean that you did the restoration, not that it was damaged in the first place."

"No of course, but it was so wonderful to see the owner's relief that it had not been lost to flame, then there would have been no restoration possible. It was a painting her 2 times great grandfather had purchased new from the artist so not only is it an original Monet it is also a treasured family heirloom."

"Have you traveled other places for your work?"

"Yes, I have been fortunate. I have worked in New York, Atlanta, Portland - the one in Oregon - and San Francisco, Honolulu. And to a few places in Europe. I think my most exciting consultation was in Japan."

"Japan, wow! Why was it the most exciting?"

"Because it is so different from everything I know and because the painting I worked on was from their Muromachi Period, which dates back to the 1300s."

"Now that's ancient! What caused the damage, was it age or the earthquake or flooding?"

"The earthquake and we were able to bring it back to life again. It was very rewarding to do."

"That's amazing! What does your family think of your work and your traveling?"

"My father thinks I should go home and design furniture for him; I do some of that but for custom pieces, not for mass manufacture. My sister is envious I believe. She married quite young and has a child, I think she would have liked to have seen a bit of the world first. My mother would like to do that now, but my father has not been willing to give the leadership of the family business over to my eldest brother."

"The family business is furniture?"

"Yes, my many times great grandfather started it over 200 years ago and now it is a chain of stores. The furniture is still made here in Greece, which is good, and customers are able to order custom pieces, just not of my design!"

"200 years as a family business, that's incredible!"

She laughed lightly again and Tim had to resist the urge to swoop in and kiss her beautiful laughing lips. "It is not so incredible in Europe, Tim. You are from a very young country."

"You're right; we are young, comparatively speaking."

"You have me speaking of myself. Tell me more about you! Where did you grow up?"

"My father was in the Navy, so we lived in several places. I was born in Maryland, then we moved to Puerto Rico, to Japan and then to San Diego. From there we moved to Northern California, across the bay from San Francisco, to Alameda."

"Yes, I know where that is!"

"My father died when I was 9 and we moved back East, to Baltimore."

"Maryland again."

"Yes."

"Did you have family there?"

"No, that's just where we were sent."

"Sent?"

Tim inwardly cringed; there wasn't any way around this. "My mother died before my father and he remarried. When he died, our stepmother didn't want to take care of us, so she sent us away – to Baltimore."

"Oh, that's quite sad. But who raised you then?"

"As it turned out I did. My younger sister and me and a little boy we adopted along the way."

"How is that possible?"

Sanitizing the story as much as he could, Tim told her of growing up on the street. By the time he finished, she'd taken his hand.

He smiled at her, "We have happy endings. I'm here, my sister Sarah is packing to move to the UK for graduate school and the little boy I adopted, Rob is already in the UK, in medical school. Our older brother Geordie is a Marine."

"Oh, you're right, that's a wonderful ending; you've all done extraordinarily well! And where did you go to school?"

"I got my bachelor's degree at Johns Hopkins and my graduate degree at MIT."

"You must be a genius!"

He laughed, "Sorry, no!"

They talked for another hour before Tim could see Lina was tiring. She was currently working at the Benaki Museum and had gone in early this morning so she could leave early for last minute work on the sets for the play. She had to be at work early again on Saturday morning. He commented that he'd been to 'her' museum once and that he foresaw many visits. She smiled happily at that, it was one of her favorite places; she had chosen to work there. He paid the bill and drove her back to the school, parking and escorting her to her vehicle. He opened her door and turned to her, gently pressing his lips to hers, welcoming her response. "Lina, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Yes, Tim, that would be wonderful. "

"If I pick you up at 8:00 will that give you enough time after work?"

"Yes, that's perfect. Here's the address." She took back the card she'd given him with her cell number and work number on it and added her home address. She handed it to him and leaned in for another kiss. Tim thought he'd died and gone to heaven kissing this woman. They stood there in the school parking lot kissing and murmuring to each other until they realized how late – or early - it was.

He watched her drive off and then headed for home. He was so entranced by the wonderful Lina that he caught himself just before he turned into the office parking lot. Shaking his head, he drove up the hill and right into the garage of his new house. He carefully hung up his suit and got into his pajamas, foregoing the rest of his nightly routine for now. He was still too keyed up to sleep so opened his e-mail to send a couple of messages to Sarah, Rob and his friend Ralph. He saw Gibbs' message sitting there and opened it, feeling badly for hanging up on him the day before although he was not sorry for what he'd said. The note was conciliatory and Tim smiled at the sentiment expressed by his former boss. He was starting to believe Gibbs really did care about him, that it wasn't some control thing or anything to do with having apparently lost Ziva forever. He shook his head, he knew he was running hot and cold with Gibbs but despite his flares of anger and hurt he really wanted to fix this.

He pulled up Skype and pinged Gibbs who was sitting in his kitchen waiting for his coffeemaker to give him more coffee. He heard his laptop chime and he jumped up, hoping it was Tim. It was too early for Tony and they'd arranged to speak on Saturday anyway. He grinned when he saw Tim's face. "Hi Tim, had a good night, did you?"

"How did you know?" Gibbs remembered the boys using CDs as mirrors and grabbed one Jimmy had left and held it up. Tim leaned in and then he saw the lipstick. He laughed, "Guess what Boss, I met someone tonight!"

"Met her and kissed her, Tim! So…?"

"I met her at the school play of all places! She's an artist and was helping Trina with the sets; actually I think she designed the sets. Her friend's son …um I can't remember his name, was in the play. Her name's Melina Kalivas but she's called Lina. She's wonderful; she has auburn hair and beautiful green eyes. She lives here in Piraeus, but she's from Thessaloniki, which is up north. She has two brothers and a sister and her family has owned and operated a furniture business for 200 years! That just blows my mind, 200 years. Anyway, she's been to the U.S. several times, worked over there. And we like a lot of the same things, Boss."

Gibbs was smiling at his kid, oh yeah, he was smitten. "So you met her before the play and did something after? Nice going Tim!"

"No way was I not going to spend more time with her Boss. She's…the most wonderful woman I've ever met. We went for coffee."

"That's good son, now are you going to see her again this weekend?"

"Yes, we're going out to dinner tomorrow night. Oh, I have to find a restaurant and make reservations!"

"You could ask the Russells, I'll bet they have their favorites."

"Great idea, Boss, thanks!"

"So how was the play?"

Tim laughed, "I won't tell anyone here this, but I have no idea. Lina sat next to me and I couldn't concentrate; it could have been a Tony award winning performance and I wouldn't have known…or cared. I heard the others saying how good it was so I congratulated the kids when we saw them."

Gibbs laughed, "That's probably all they'll care about anyway. So besides calling Pete and making reservations, what else are you doing tomorrow?"

"Have an appointment to get my hair cut, look how long it is!" Tim turned his head sideways.

"Good thing you're getting it cut, starting to look like a hippie there, Timothy!"

"Huh, my hair was a lot longer than this when I was a kid, Boss. I wouldn't let anyone but Geordie cut it and he hated to do it, said it dulled his knife."

"Yikes!"

"When Rob got old enough, he'd do it for me. I let Sarah do it once and she tried to do some weird Miami Vice cut or something on me. I had to get Geordie to take it nearly down to a buzz cut to get rid of it!"

"There's something called a professional barber."

"Yeah, I'm going to the guy who cuts both Evander and Matt's hair. Afterward I'm going to the Flying Pig for breakfast and I think Matt is meeting me. Then I'll pick up some groceries and head home. At some point I think I need to go back to my room at the office and clean, guess I'll do that Saturday afternoon. Nobody has said anything, but it's not a hotel, so I'll clean up after myself! Then I'll talk with Ducky and I promised Vance I'd help Kayla, she's in an Advanced Math class and having problems. Then…an evening with Lina."

"The part with Lina sounds like a good birthday for you, the rest, well, things have to get done! You won't remember anything else about tomorrow but your evening with Lina."

"You're right, I probably won't! And it'll be the best birthday ever." Gibbs grinned at him, happy to see his youngest almost giddy with happiness.

Tim continued, "Boss, I'm sorry I hung up the other night, I thought we had a callout. I was upset but that was rude and I really didn't mean to be rude," he huffed, "hurt and angry again but not rude. And I really appreciate your e-mail; that means a lot to me." Gibbs nodded, his throat having apparently closed up again. He managed a smile when Tim put his hand on the screen and he matched him. "Glad you thought of this, Tim, I know it's really an illusion but it sure helps."

"Helps me too."

"So you closed a cold case this week? Nice going!"

"How…?"

"Vance mentioned it."

"Oh. Yeah, it was pathetically easy, could have been closed years ago except for politics. Was a supposed kidnapping of a young ensign 15 years ago. Did some follow up, called the guy's brother to see if he'd heard from him in the last umpteen years and all he says is their father died and gives me an address in Athens. Pete and I drive over – he wouldn't let me get out of the car because I hadn't been released for field duty yet. Pete goes to the front door, says he's NCIS and the guy gives it up, right then and there. He was living right there with his wife and kids the whole time! JAG came over from Naples and took him back with them. But no new cases and I am not complaining! Did I tell you about our new junior?" Gibbs shook his head and Tim told him his version of the "Bec interview".

When Tim paused and asked if he remembered when he fell in the creek, he nodded. "Yeah, you were almost as wet as when you went through that carwash your first year, although the mud was a nice addition! I guess the carwash was an honest run through, not like the creek where Tony let go of your belt."

"That was an accident Boss. He was slipping and falling."

Gibbs just nodded. They talked for a few more minutes, only disconnecting when Tim started yawning and Gibbs told him to get some sleep. Then he called Ducky to tell him they'd need to revise their birthday plans to accommodate Kayla's call and Tim's plans with Lina. After talking about it, they came to the conclusion that Vance needed to be brought in on it and Ducky volunteered to do that. Assuming they would have Vance's agreement, the two older men revised the schedule. The original plan had been for Sarah, Ducky, Jimmy, Breena, and Gibbs to gather at Ducky's and link in Rob and James for a surprise international birthday Skype call from all of them. But having Kayla Vance's call scheduled so tightly afterward didn't work. Ducky had e-mailed with Pete earlier in the week and knew what his teammates were planning, but that would take place hours before their call. A quick call to Vance had everything settled, not only that but the Vances were asked to join the party at Ducky's. Vance sent a text to Tim saying that Kayla's call needed to be earlier and that he'd contacted Ducky and they were in effect swapping times.

Saturday morning Tim overslept and had to skip his run and breakfast to be on time for his haircut and was grateful for the free coffee and pastry he was given at the shop. He wasn't too surprised to see Matt in an adjoining chair as his friend had said he might join him for breakfast and he knew he'd planned to get his hair cut. When they were both done, Matt suggested he help him with the grocery shopping and then he'd cook breakfast for them both. Matt was a good cook so Tim had no problem with that.

Shopping went quickly as Tim was hungry and wanted to get home. Matt zipped on up the hill in his car and pulled onto the side of the driveway, giving Tim room to drive into the garage. The younger man grabbed some of the grocery bags and the two men walked into the house through the garage. Tim was seriously in need of more coffee and feeling a little bleary after his shortened sleep and the relaxing haircut; he figured Matt would cook, they'd eat and talk and at some point he'd have a chance to take a nice long nap.

Matt had told him the name of a great restaurant and he'd already accessed their website and made reservations for tonight. Tim was thinking of the evening ahead, or more precisely, he was thinking of Lina and the evening ahead when they reached the kitchen and he almost dropped the bag with the eggs when he was faced with his team, their significant others and the entire Russell family yelling "Surprise!"

He stood in shock, he'd never had a surprise birthday party; his birthdays were mostly spent at work with little or no recognition or with his siblings and a few friends, never anything like this. He looked around; the whole downstairs was decorated with "Happy Birthday" banners, streamers and balloons. He spotted a pile of presents and cards and blinked away tears. Not quite knowing what to do, he caught Trina's eye and she came to his rescue. "Now, Tim, as the birthday boy, you get to just sit, relax and try to enjoy being the center of attention. Matt and Tea are cooking and the rest of us have brought goodies, we're having brunch. And at some point you're going to tell us all about your coffee date with Lina."

Tim's face, already happy, lit up even more and the men patted him on the back, "Welcome to the club!"

Pete laughed, "Who laughed at me two weeks ago, Timothy? _Two_ weeks! You beat me by a whole month!"

Tim did his fish impression while he figured out what Pete was talking about, oh yeah, coming to Greece to meet girls.

He shrugged, "Really, well who invited me to the play?" He turned and looked at Trina with one eyebrow raised.

She gasped her laughter, "Oh no, I admit I had plans but last night wasn't one of them!"

Matt and Tea shooed everyone out of the kitchen; they headed for the dining area and Tim looked over at Evander, "Sure glad you worked out the deal for the furniture, Evander or we'd be eating on the floor!"

His friend smiled back at him, "We would have thought of something Tim. I'm glad you moved in right away, the surprise was originally planned around us helping you move but this is much more fun!"

Kim brought the coffee pot around while Caleb followed with the teapot. Brunch was soon served and Tim was floored by the wonderful friendship and food he was offered. As they ate, he talked a little about his coffee date with Lina and disclosed their dinner date that evening. That raised the noise level again and the one thing he heard was a question as to where he was taking her. He mentioned that Matt had recommended the #2 rated restaurant in Piraeus, Vassilenas and was pleased to hear approving noises from the women. Pete gave Matt a thumbs up but looked a bit worried. Guessing at what might be bothering his friend, Tim just held up his phone and told him he'd already made reservations and that brought the smiles back to Pete's face.

Tim was further astounded when he looked through the presents and found gifts not only from his wonderful new friends including Carla and Norm, but also from Sarah, Rob and Geordie, James, Ducky, the Palmers and Gibbs. Kim and Adan piled all the gifts and cards around him and he just looked at it all, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. He grinned. "Ok, I'm just going to dive in!" He vaguely remembered childhood birthday parties and except for the funny hats, he felt much the same today, almost giddy with happiness. He opened the cards first and found a card from Joel, another signed by his former project team, one from Jackson Gibbs, another from the techs in MTAC, one from Rick Carter, another one from Tobias and Emily Fornell and one from the Vance family. The gifts ranged from some much needed towels to a promise of a painting from Trina to a beautifully handcrafted picture frame from Gibbs, with a photo that melded the images of the photo of Tim, Rob, Sarah and Geordie that first day in the shelter with an image of Patrick taken shortly before he died. It had been artfully and tastefully done so that all five McGee siblings appeared in the photo that was in the frame. That one stopped him for a few minutes until he could explain about Patrick. There were toys for the pool, garden tools and gadgets, a gift card for a local nursery and a large houseplant that was perfect by the sliding patio door. Geordie had sent a wood carving that could have been Asian, Russian or Scandinavian and Tim laughed, his brother might have carried it with him for years before he decided the operation in that particular region was far enough behind him that it was safe to give the gift.

When he finished opening everything, they were given champagne flutes and Stephan and Phoebe poured sparkling cider into each. Pete cleared his throat, "A toast for Tim! Happy Birthday and welcome to your new life. May it always be filled with love, laughter, health and happiness!" They all raised their glasses, "To Tim!" He blushed as he sipped the cider.

Before they left, he'd promised to host a pool party when the weather was warmer and Adan had offered to teach him some basic gardening skills. The Russells handled the clean up while Matt helped Tim bring some of his gifts upstairs. He stayed to help Tim pick out what to wear that evening and agreed that he should have another suit made. Soon enough Tim found himself alone and he set the alarm on his phone and collapsed on the bed. He'd loved every minute of it but he was still in desperate need of a nap!

Note: According to tripadvisor Vassilenas is the number 2 rated restaurant in Piraeus. The number 1 is listed as a curry shop and while I'm sure it's a fine place, I wanted Greek food and something more romantic sounding for Tim and Lina's first real date!


	34. Chapter 34

Finding Home, Chapter Thirty Four

Tim woke from his nap several minutes before his alarm was set to wake him. He checked his e-mail and saw the note from Vance that the calls had been switched and shrugged it off. He dug out his wallet and found the card from the Ambassador's assistant and sent her a quick e-mail asking if he could bring a date to the embassy party the following Saturday. He thought about showering but decided to wait until after his calls, then he could concentrate on his date with Lina and not be distracted. He did pop downstairs to see if there were any leftovers and had a bite or two of a delicious casserole Eva and Caleb had made.

Pouring a glass of juice, he went back upstairs just in time for Kayla's call. Although he was fond of Kayla and Jared, he knew he was distracted and wished the problem could have waited til tomorrow. Nevertheless he was his usual smiling self when Kayla appeared on his screen. She showed him what she'd done and he looked at it. "Kayla, I'm not seeing the problem, these are all correct."

"Ok."

He looked up sharply, that was the tone she'd used in the months after her mother died. She'd gradually improved but now was sounding down again.

"Want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Whatever it is that's bothering you."

"I can't tell Dad."

"Can't tell him what?"

"That it's not the work, it's the class."

"All right…"

"Tim, do you remember when I signed up for this last year? Mom was so excited, she'd loved her advanced classes in school and we were going to work on this together."

"Oh Kayla!"

"I don't want to do this without her, Tim. It makes me hurt more. I miss her so much."

"Of course you do, Kay. You need to tell your dad, he needs to know. "

"You think I could drop the class?"

"I don't know but I do know you need to tell your dad, he'll help you with this."

"I haven't wanted to, Tim, he's hurting so much."

"I know but if he knew you weren't telling him because you didn't want him to hurt, that would make him crazy. He's upset because he hasn't been able to help you with the class work."

Kayla's eyes widened, "Oh, that's bad."

"Just talk to him, Kayla, that's all you need to do. He's a good listener."

"I will, Tim. Can we still call you though, me and Jared…you know sometimes?"

"Sure, I'd like that!"

The young teen nodded, "All right, I guess I'd better go tell him. Thank you Tim…oh I forgot to wish you a happy birthday! Are you having a good one?"

"I am, thanks, I had a surprise party, and I've never had one before!"

"That's great! All right, I'd better go, thank you for listening to me and have a good rest of your birthday."

"I will, Kay, tell Jared and your dad hi for me." She nodded and they disconnected. He sat for a few minutes, thinking about Jackie Vance and the sad and painful days and weeks after her murder. From that perspective he didn't regret helping Ziva track down Bodnar. Jackie had been such a good person; she was a wonderful mother and had been kind to him on numerous occasions. She would not like her daughter giving up on her dream of the advanced classes but that was not up to him.

Now having some free time, he puttered around the house. He took down the paintings and other things he didn't like in his room, the guest rooms and downstairs, although he left the dining room light fixture up until he found something he did like. He wondered if Lina would want to go to the flea market with him to look. He took one of the garden tools he'd been given this morning, a clipper thing, as well as some sturdy gloves and went out to the garden. There were several different rosebushes out there, still with new buds and blooms. He cut several in different colors including a few buds and then found some other long green leaves he thought would look nice with them. Bringing them into the house, he clipped the thorns off the rose stems, cut a bit off the ends of the long green leaves and put them all in water. He remembered seeing vases in the back hallway closet and he dug through, finding some small glass cylinders that he could put the stems in and then wrap them in….tissue paper? Or maybe plastic wrap first with tissue paper over them? He left the roses in water for now with the cylinders, plastic wrap and the tissue paper out on the counter.

Back upstairs, he changed the sheets on the bed. In his experience, changing the sheets usually wasn't necessary until around or after the 3rd date, but just in case. As he thought about it, he moved his package of condoms from the bathroom to the top drawer of the bedside table. He stopped and took a deep breath, reminding himself to take it easy, not to get his hopes or anything else up too soon. He didn't want to scare her off as he'd done with other women he'd thought were special. Not the same as Lina though. He freely admitted he was head over heels with her and idly wondered if he could propose on their first real date. He shook himself again, he needed to focus on the present, not dream his way into the future and then have it snatched away when he presumed too much.

He checked his e-mail but there was no reply from Beth Donahue, the ambassador's assistant. He shook his head at his expectations, it was Saturday and this was the young woman's work e-mail, not her personal. He hoped Monday wouldn't be too late to ask Lina if the answer was yes from the Embassy. What if she needed a dress or needed to take time off of work or something? He was going to end up a gibbering idiot if he didn't stop! He needed to just relax and enjoy the evening.

He was putting his birthday towels away when he heard the laptop chime; maybe it was one of his siblings. He'd told them they didn't need to call and now he was regretting that. To his surprise it was Ducky, nearly thirty minutes early and when he answered, he was shocked once again to hear many voices yell "Surprise, Happy Birthday!" He grinned as he spotted Rob and James in a smaller panel on the screen and waved to them. Tim shook his head when he spotted Kayla, Jared and their father in the crowd. Grinning, Kayla turned the laptop slowly around the room so he could see everyone who was there and that the room was decorated for a party. His long distance, international party. He wasn't surprised to see Gibbs, Jimmy or Breena, he was surprised to see his baby sister there with her best "Ha I fooled you" grin.

"You guys are the best…and have you all met Rob and James now?" They nodded as they'd linked Rob and James in a few minutes before they'd called him. Gibbs smiled, "I'd know them anywhere from your photos, Tim."

"I haven't had a chance to thank you all for your cards and gifts. Boss…that photo and the frame, that's unbelievable."

"I had it uh…what do you guys call it?" Sarah, Jimmy and the Vance kids called out, "Photoshopped."

"Yeah, that! Sarah had the separate photos and went with me to the place to have them scanned so they were on the computer and then they moved things around, it was really interesting to watch."

Beside him, Sarah was watching her brother's face and knew her decision to help Gibbs had been a good one, despite her personal feelings. Rob and James were laughing at something Breena said. They turned, "Hey this is a three country party, that's pretty awesome, I wonder if it's a record or something."

Another chime on Ducky's laptop and he saw Jack and Ted pop up in a third panel. "Hey Tim, we couldn't make your earlier party, sorry! Pete checked with Dr. Mallard for us, we just wanted to wish you Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks guys, hey, I want to introduce you, you're my new poster boys for your agency you know! I'm not quite sure the others believe me." One by one he introduced them to his family and friends. He looked at them and noticed a window behind them with scenery that was distinctly not Athens. He decided not to bring it to anyone's attention or he would have nightmares about someone burning them on Twitter or some media site and that would be very bad. He turned to the others and saw Gibbs' eyebrow up in a question. He discreetly shook his head, don't ask and went on 'partying' with the others. His new friends couldn't stay long and Tim wondered if they had finished an operation or were just starting one.

Most of the party goers hadn't yet seen the house so he did another virtual tour, first the upstairs and then downstairs and lastly the backyard, lit up. James joked that he was booking a flight and did Tim think Joel would mind if he "worked from home", meaning Tim's home? When Vance cleared his throat and said Joel might not mind but he would, James blanched and then relaxed when the Director laughed, obviously having meant to tease the young man.

The party went on for nearly 2 hours before Gibbs looked at his watch. "Hey guys, we'll need to break this up in a few minutes! Sorry but Tim needs time to get ready for his date tonight." That caused more upheaval and Tim had to explain to everyone who hadn't heard all about Lina. He was eternally grateful he'd sent e-mails to his sister and brother that morning. When the tumult quieted a bit, he asked to speak privately to Breena. He asked for her opinion about Lina and the embassy party, ask her now, knowing the answer from the embassy might be no or ask her later in the week? Breena said that was a tough one and that she needed a couple of minutes to think it through. Vance who had been hovering out of sight but not quite out of earshot approached the screen. "Tim, the answer will be no to a date. You have to be at least engaged to bring a date."

"Thanks sir, I thought the answer might be no, that's why I was torn about asking Lina before I knew."

"Yeah, sorry, I was lingering nearby because I wanted to let you know Kayla and I talked and I really appreciate your encouraging her to come to me; thank you."

"You're welcome, Director, I wish there was something more I could do."

"Keep being the friend she needs, both of them need, please."

"That's easy to do, Sir."

"You say that now, wait until you and Lina are farther along in your relationship!" Tim blushed as Vance winked at him and then moved aside to find Breena. Sarah took his place and the three siblings talked for a few minutes. Her flight departed on Friday, same as Tim's had, arriving on Saturday which would make it easier for James and Rob to meet her at Heathrow. She was feeling a little nervous and like Rob before her, asked for a family call the day before. With Rob at school and work for long hours, and Tim's martial arts class on Thursday night, scheduling was a little trickier than before, but they figured it out.

Sarah moved away and Gibbs and Ducky appeared. Tim smiled. "You guys are the best, you know that? I can't believe you did all this – and coordinated with Pete!"

"We didn't want to miss your birthday, dear boy. Now are you ready for tonight?"

Tim laughed, "Uh, yes, have reservations and have taken care of everything else."

"Bringing her flowers?"

"I was planning on bringing her roses from my garden; I cut them earlier and found some long green leaves to go with them. Is that ok or should I find a florist?"

Both men shook their heads, "No, home grown from your own garden is the best. Shows more thought put into it."

Gibbs leaned in; "You might want to cut the thorns off though."

Tim nodded, "I did that already, Boss." He spent the last few minutes of his party talking with Gibbs and Ducky. At one point he could see Vance off to the side watching with a smile on his face and he smiled back, wanting him to know how good this felt. Between this morning and now, he'd been with all of his favorite people except for Lina – and Geordie -and he would be seeing her in just about an hour and he never knew when he'd see his older brother. With a start he realized the time and Gibbs nodded. "Go son, have a wonderful time! And don't worry about saying or doing the right thing, just be you." Tim nodded and waved goodbye to everyone as he disconnected.

He showered and dried his hair then decided to get the flowers ready before he got dressed. He had to cut some of the lower leaves off to get all the stems in the little cylinders but finally they were in and he added water. Wrapping them in plastic wrap didn't hold them together tightly enough, so he dug through kitchen drawers until he found a large enough rubber band. That did the trick and he wrapped the whole thing in tissue paper until it looked halfway decent. He stood there holding the bundle in his hands. Now what? He couldn't lay it down or the water would spill out and some of the roses might lose their petals. He remembered seeing a pitcher in a cupboard and with one hand holding the bouquet of roses and leaves he went hunting again, this time for a pitcher or anything large enough to hold this thing upright until he got to Lina's place. Maybe he should have just wrapped them in wet paper towels but he'd wanted it to look nicer than that. He found a pitcher and stood the bouquet inside of it. It held ok so he left it while he went back upstairs to finish getting ready. Who knew fresh cut flowers would be such a pain!

Dressed and ready, he grabbed his jacket, keys and went to the kitchen for the flowers. Looking at it, he realized he'd need something to hold the pitcher upright in the car. He wanted it on the floor of the backseat where if it spilled it would not get anything wet that Lina would have to sit on or put her feet on. He dashed into the back hallway to the same closet and dragged out a blanket that was big enough and heavy enough, he hoped, to hold the damn flowers steady. Really, next time he'd just buy them from a florist! He stowed the troublesome things in the foot well of the backseat, swaddled in the blanket. Yeah, if they tipped they wouldn't go far.

He set her address into the GPS although he'd already looked up the directions online and memorized them. He was excited and nervous and needed to calm down. He practiced his deep breathing on his way to Lina's house and then realized he couldn't remember her housemate's name. Something that was also a boy's name. Terry? Pat? Robbie? Bobbi? Dani, that was it! Her kid's name was...no clue; it just hadn't stuck with him. Ok, he was a friend of Stephan and Phoebe…oh, Phoebe! That made him think of one of the few non-science fiction shows on TV he really knew anything about and that was "Friends".

"Ross! Dani's son's name is Ross." And with that he pulled up to the house he'd seen on Google Earth and parked. Remembering the roses, he plucked the bouquet from the backseat and carried it up the partially tiled walkway to the front door. He straightened his jacket and then knocked on the door, trying to remember to breathe.


End file.
